


The Law of Retaliation

by Trufreak89



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Extramarital Affairs, F/F, Revenge Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:02:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25994914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trufreak89/pseuds/Trufreak89
Summary: When Eve Polastri finds out her husband has cheated on her with another woman she decides there is only one way to save her marriage: by getting even with a one-night stand of her own. Eve lets Elena set her up on a tinder date, but things don't quite go to plan when she encounters the enigmatic Villanelle and one night no longer seems enough.
Relationships: Elena Felton/Kenny Stowton, Eve Polastri/Niko Polastri, Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Comments: 71
Kudos: 624





	1. Chapter 1

“I can’t take this anymore.” Eve Polastri’s voice broke as her eyes narrowed on the clock. “It’s torture. Actual torture.” She glanced down at her watch, and then at her computer monitor, but the time was still the same.

“How can it still on only be four fifty-six?” Elena, the young black woman sitting in the desk across from Eve’s piped up. “I swear it’s been that for the last twenty minutes.”

“At least.” Agreed the man occupying the desk on the other side of the room. He ran a hand through his mop of curls. “Kenny, go ask your Mum if we can go.”

Kenny, the son of their boss Carolyn Martens, glanced up from his computer screen with an expression that was a cross between fear and bewilderment. “No way, Hugo. It’s only a few minutes. Try doing some work, it’ll pass quicker.”

“Work.” Scoffed Hugo. “It’s a Friday afternoon, Ken-Doll! Nobody works on a Friday afternoon. It’s a British institution!”

“While you little delinquents were arguing, the clock struck five. You’re all free to go.” Bill, the oldest of the group, announced from his desk in the corner. Hugo let out a holler while Elena slammed her laptop shut, stood up and dragged Kenny to his feet.

“Pub!” She said, linking arms with her boyfriend before he could protest about having work to finish. While their younger colleagues rushed out like school kids on the last day of term, Eve and Bill were the last two to leave. Bill pulled on the rain Mac he’d been wearing for as long as Eve had known him.

“Coming to the pub?” He asked while fixing his collar. Before she could answer, Hugo popped his head back in the door.

“Eve, you coming to the pub? I’ve got a cold one with your name on it. And a beer.” He shot her a wink with a suggestive smile. Hugo was a recent addition to the office - covering for Jess while she took her maternity - and a total slime ball. He was an Oxford rich boy and a bit of a prick, but Eve got on with him; even if he insisted on flirting with her every chance he got.

“Sorry, no can do. Niko’s coming back from that spelling bee tonight. I’m ordering a takeaway, grabbing a bottle of wine and going home to have sex with my husband.”

“Lucky man.” Hugo leered at her. “How about you, Bill?”

“No, I think I’ll pass on having sex with Niko tonight. No offence, Eve.”

“None taken, Bill.”

“Haha.” Hugo rolled his eyes at the duo. “Suit yourselves. Catch you later.”

Bill watched him go before giving Eve a cautious look. “Be careful with that one. I know trouble when I see it.”

“Relax, Bill. I’m a happily married woman, and he’s half my age.”

The drive from Thames House to Ealing usually took half an hour on a good day. On a Friday afternoon, and during rush hour traffic, it took Eve almost an hour to get home. The downstairs lights were all on, a sure sign that Niko had arrived home ahead of her.

Eve let herself in with her key and kicked off her flats at the bottom of the stairs. “I’m home!” She called out, expecting to hear Niko clattering around in the kitchen. “Darling?” She shrugged off her coat and hung it up on the rack by the door before venturing down the hall and into the combined living room and kitchen.

She found her husband sat at the kitchen table, an untouched glass of wine in front of him and a troubled expression on his face. They’d been married for fifteen years and the cavalier like moustache dominating the lower part of his face was about five years old. He looked every bit the high school maths teacher he was.

“Hey, didn’t you hear me calling?” Eve pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“I did.” He nods and wipes at his moustache with his left hand. His eyes catch his wedding ring and he lets his hand drop. “Eve, we need to talk.”

“Uh-huh. Did you order the takeaway yet?” Eve fetched a wine glass from the cupboard above the sink and poured herself a glass from the open bottle on the table. “I was thinking Thai tonight. Is that okay with you?”

“Eve-”

“Maybe Indian?”

“Eve!” Niko slammed his hand down on the table. It was so out of character that Eve jumped on the spot, almost spilling her wine.

“What? What is it? Oh god, is your mother okay?”

Niko let out a heavy sigh, rubbing at his moustache again. “She’s fine. It’s-”

“Is my Mom okay?”

“Yes. Yes, she’s fine too. It’s nothing like that, Eve. I…” He trailed off, leaving her imagining the worst as he lapsed into silence. His hand was shaking, and he looked pale. Even in her worst imagination, Eve could never have guessed what he was about to say. “I did something. Something I’m not proud of. I wish I could take it back, but I can’t; and I have to tell you about it. I can’t live with myself.”

“What did you do?” Eve’s concern trickled away the longer he remained silent. “Niko, what did you do?”

“I was drunk. That’s no excuse, but… I don’t know how it happened, Eve.”

“How what happened? Niko, you’re scaring me! What happened?”

He slunk forward in the chair, cradling his head in his hands. “I’m so sorry… I… I slept with Gemma.”

Eve stared at him in total shock as the revelation sunk in. She stood stock still, the wine glass in her hand threatening to teeter. Time seemed to slow down. Eve had always thought that was a cliche, but as she stood there in her living room, it felt like someone had pressed pause on her life. Her world was imploding thanks to four little words.

“Motherfucker!” She flighted the wine glass, narrowly missing Niko’s head. It smashed against the refrigerator, shattering into pieces and raining down on the floor like confetti. Eve’s chest was heaving and her mind was racing as she demanded, “Who the fuck is Gemma?”

“One of the teachers I work with… You’ve met her three times!” Even when he was in the wrong, Niko could still make her feel like she was the one failing in their marriage.

“Clearly she didn’t make as strong an impression on me as she did on you!”

Niko opened his mouth to argue, but then thought better of it. He rubbed at his face, looking like half the man he had been before leaving for Oxford. “I’m sorry, Eve. I don’t want to fight. Just tell me what I can do to fix this! It was a stupid mistake and I love you too much to give up on us. Please, there has to be something I can do!”

“There’s nothing you can do.”

“Don’t say that.” He scrambled forward in his seat, taking Eve’s hands in his own. “Please don’t throw away fifteen years of marriage over one stupid mistake!”

“Niko, it’s not like you forgot our anniversary! You fucked someone else! You can’t undo that! Nothing you do can change what you did!” Eve reared back and wrapped her arms around her waist as she rocked on the balls of her feet.

An idea struck her, the perfect way to pay back her philandering husband and regain some of her dignity. Holding her head high, she announced, “You can’t do anything to make this right, but I can.”

“How? Whatever it takes, Eve! Please give me another chance.”

“I’m going to screw someone else. Then we’ll be even. We can start fresh.”

Niko’s eyes widened, making him appear like a cartoon character as he gawped up at her. “You can’t be serious! Two wrongs don’t make a right-”

“Are you seriously lecturing me on morals right now? I’m not the one who fucked my younger coworker!”

“Oh, no, but you’re going to use this an excuse to go fuck that little prick who idolises you at work!” Niko roared. He slammed his hand on the table again, making Eve jump. She took a tentative step back, but felt a newfound fire raging in the pit of her stomach.

“Are you talking about Hugo? Oh my god, is that why you fucked Gemma? Because you think I want to screw Hugo? For Christ’s sake, Niko, I’m old enough to be his mother!”

“Come off it, Eve! He was all over you like a rash at that Christmas night out! God knows what would have happened if I hadn’t been there!”

“Nothing! Nothing would have happened, Niko! Because I’m not a cheating fuck like you are!” At that outburst, the tension in Niko’s body suddenly left him, like a balloon deflating. He slumped back in his chair, cradling his face in his hands.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Eve.” He let out a sob and somehow Eve was back to being the bad guy. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned in the chair, burying his face into her chest.

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen… If I could take it back, I would.” He sobbed. “Please, can we just start over? I don’t want to lose you…”

“Of course.” Eve stroked his unruly hair with one hand and rubbed his back with the other. She pressed a light kiss to the top of his head before she said, “As soon as I’ve slept with someone else, we can start a clean slate.”

Monday morning came after a weekend spent walking on egg shells. Niko had done his best to make up for his infidelity with breakfast in bed, finally putting up those shelves in her office and even suggesting a romantic weekend away in Paris. Eve had smiled through it all, but she had not changed her mind.

Eve Polastri would cheat on her husband to save her marriage.

It was the only option. She was sure of that. Eve analysed risks and looked for the best and worst outcomes for a living. After dwelling on it for three nights, she was even more certain that she was in the right. The only way their marriage could survive was if she slept with someone else too.

That was easier said than done, though. Eve was coming up to forty-two and had been married for fifteen years. The last time Eve had been on a date, George Bush had been president in the states and the Queen Mother had still been alive.

She hadn’t even been all that good at dating in her younger days. Meeting Niko had come as a stroke of luck after joining the Bridge club for something of a social life outside work. He hadn’t been there the first time she’d gone. She almost hadn’t gone back, but she’d been twenty-six with nothing better to do on a Saturday night, so she went, and there was Niko; the young star of the club.

“Penny for them.” Eve was pulled from her thoughts as Elena tossed her heavy purse onto the desk opposite Eve’s with a thud. The young black woman was in her early twenties - still young enough to think that working for MI5 was glamorous - and blessed with the technical skills and intelligence to go far in the agency. She was one of Eve’s closest friends, despite the almost two decades that separated them in age.

She and Eve were the only ones in the office. “I’d need more than a penny for them.” Sighed Eve. Elena’s eyes widened at the hint of gossip. She dropped into her chair, leaning over their adjoining desks.

“Sounds juicy. Tell me everything!” Eve did just that, retelling the events of Friday night and learning of Niko’s promiscuity. “Oh my god, what a bitch! We should go slash her tyres!”

“Thanks, but it’s not all her fault. It takes two to Tango.” Eve gave the younger woman a wry smile.

“All right then, let’s go slash Niko’s tyres! C’mon, Eve! You can’t let him get away with that! And you’ve not moved into my spare room, so you’re obviously still at home.”

Eve was in two minds whether to tell her friend about her plan, but if she was being honest with herself, she needed Elena’s help. Eve didn’t know the first thing about modern dating or hooking up. Elena seemed to have had plenty of suitors prior to getting with Kenny, so Eve told her what she was planning.

“So you should!” Elena agreed wholeheartedly. “I think that’s a brilliant idea. Why should he get to have all the fun?”

“You don’t think he’s right? I mean, both of us cheating isn’t exactly the key to a successful marriage. What if this just makes things worse?”

“Eve, babe, no matter what happens you’ll always be throwing this back in his face! Any stupid little argument you have over the dishes, you’ll throw him cheating into it! This way, you’re both in the wrong and you get a clean slate, like you said.”

“I dunno.” Eve worried at her bottom lip with her teeth. “I haven’t been with anyone other than Niko since I was twenty-six! How am I even meant to meet someone, go on a dating website?”

“Sweetie, nobody uses dating sites anymore. If it’s a shag you want, then you need Tinder.”

“Elena’s right.” Hugo piped up from the other side of the room.

“What the… Hugo!” Eve jumped up, holding her hand to her racing heart. “How long have you been there?” Her other coworker lay spread out on the sofa in the corner, partially hidden from sight by Bill’s desk. He stretched out with a yawn, his form fitting shirt riding up his stomach.

“I was first in. I fell asleep. Woke up when I heard you two gossipping. Elena’s right, by the way. Niko’s a dick and you should definitely shag someone to get back at him.”

“Want to help me set her Tinder profile up?” Elena asked, swiping Eve’s phone from her desk.

Hugo made a face as he stood up. “Is the Pope Catholic?” He sat in his chair and wheeled it over to Elena’s desk. Eve had more sense than to stop them. They could be like big kids sometimes, and she didn’t feel like playing ‘piggy-in-the-middle’ to get her phone back.

After a few minutes Hugo spun around on his chair, offering Eve a cheesy smile as he leaned on her desk with one elbow. “You know I could save you a lot of time and effort and just offer you my services.”

A small part of Eve was tempted; but flashing back to their fight on Friday night, she knew Niko would never forgive her if she chose Hugo. Besides, Eve was his supervisor and it wouldn’t be very professional of her. Not that Carolyn would care. Eve could host a weekly office orgy and their boss wouldn’t bat an eyelid so long as the work got done. “No thanks, Hugo. I want a man, not a boy.”

“Eve!” He held a hand to his heart as if wounded.

“Why are you looking for a man?” Bill chose the worst moment to walk through the door. Eve felt her cheeks burning as Hugo scuttled off to his own desk, and Elena stifled a nervous chuckle. “Am I missing something?”

“Half your hair?” Said Hugo, earning himself a clip around the ear as Bill walked by to get to his desk.

“Eve?” The older man looked to her for an answer, but she just shook her head. Bill was her best friend, but there were some things she couldn’t discuss with him; her sex life was one of those things.

“Nothing to worry about, Bill.”

Eve kept her younger subordinates on track for the rest of the morning, avoiding any mentions of her marriage. Bill left the office shortly before lunch to go meet his wife, leaving Eve and the others to go to the pub.

The four of them piled into their regular, the Wetherspoons down the road from Thames House. It was busy with the lunchtime rush, but they snagged their usual table near the bar. Elena waited until they’d all ordered before she swiped Eve’s phone from the table. “All right, time to show you how this works.” She announced, bringing up the Tinder app.

“Why are you teaching Eve how to use Tinder?” Kenny, sitting beside her, asked with a frown. Elena turned and patted his knee with an expression that said don’t ask.

“I’ll tell you later, babe.”

Elena shuffled closer to Eve in the booth they were all sitting in and began giving her a crash course on using the app. “So you just swipe right if you fancy them and left if you don’t.”

“Then what?” Asked Eve. She had her glasses on and was peering at her phone like it was a foreign object.

“Then if the person you swipe right on swipes right on you, you’ll get a match and you can message.”

“Why are women showing up on here? Can’t you filter it or something?”

“I thought it might boost your chances!” Elena announced gleefully, like she was doing the older woman a favour.

“I’m not gay. Change it.” Eve thrust the phone back at her.

“Fine, fine! I just figured you’d want to check it off your bucket list.” Leaning over, she covered Kenny's ears with her hands before mouthing, “I have.” Kenny, for his part, looked relieved to be momentarily left out of the conversation.

“Nice one, Elena! A little girl on girl action.” Hugo grinned at her. “I don’t suppose you got pictures… or videos?” Eve rolled her eyes at the pair of them and waited for Elena to fix her preferences on the app.

“This one looks promising. He’s good looking, athletic, dressed nice…” Elena held the phone up for Eve to see. Hugo leaned over the table to get a better look.

Twisting his face, he said, “That’s fake.”

“Shut up you!” Elena kicked him in the shin under the table, making him yelp. “I’m swiping right for you. Oh look, you matched! You should message him to meet Friday.” She shoved the phone back into an overwhelmed Eve’s hands.

“I don’t know. It’s all a bit sudden-” Thinking and talking about sleeping with someone other than her husband was one thing, but taking steps towards it was another. Eve wasn’t sure if she was ready to jump right in.

There was a loud ping and Elena’s face lit up as she snatched the phone back. “Too late. He’s just messaged asking to meet. I’m saying yes.” She happily typed out her reply and hit send while Eve sunk into her seat and stared glumly into her empty glass.

As if on cue, Hugo stood up. “I’ll get the next round in. Double Eve?” She nodded meekly, for once grateful to have him around. His earlier offer was looking even more tempting when faced with meeting a stranger for sex - Professionalism and Niko be damned.

Friday night came all too fast. The week seemed to rush by in a blur of endless paperwork by day and awkward dinners with Niko in the evenings. Sat in front of her dresser, in the bedroom she shared with her husband, Eve was reconsidering her date. She’d talked herself in and out of it so many times over the past week she’d given herself whiplash.

“You look nice.” Niko appeared at the door. His usually patient and kind brown eyes, one of the things that had first drawn Eve to him, looked sad and glassy.

Eve was dressed in a navy blue dress with spaghetti straps. She’d bought it on impulse on a work trip to Berlin with Bill. Niko’s eyes had nearly fallen out of his head when she’d worn it for their date night when she got back. Eve had only ever worn it once. It made her feel far too overdressed at the Bridge club and their local curry restaurant; the only two places they ever seemed to go.

“Thanks.” Eve didn’t bother looking up as she skilfully applied her mascara. Behind her, Niko shifted from one foot to the other.

“Do you really have to do this?” He asked, and she glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He looked so hurt, like Eve was the one throwing their marriage away. Her barely controlled rage bubbled closer to the surface.

“Yes.” She snapped. Replacing the top on her mascara, she tossed it into her purse with a huff. “Don’t wait up.”

“Eve, wait-” He caught her wrist as she tried to push past him. “You know nothing about this bloke. What if he’s a psychopath, or a serial killer?”

Eve wrenched her arm free with a scowl. “I’ve got it covered. Elena’s calling me thirty minutes after I get there.” Without waiting to hear any further protests, Eve stormed out of the room. At the bottom of the stairs, she pulled on her coat and stopped at the door to tug off her wedding band. She slipped it into her pocket for safe keeping.

She wouldn’t be needing it for the rest of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Eve arrived at the upmarket wine bar her date had chosen for them to meet in. It wasn’t the usual sort of place she would go for a drink, but then she rarely went around meeting strange men for sex either. She was out of her depth and way out of her comfort zone.

Glancing around the packed bar, she couldn’t spot the man from Tinder. She opened the app on her phone to check the photo again, just as someone called her name. She looked up from the screen to find a man who had to be well into his fifties waving her over. 

He looked like the man in the Tinder profile picture, only a good fifteen years older. While he had described himself as ‘athletic’ it looked to Eve like the only exercise he possibly got was walking to the fridge and back. To top things off, he had a moustache that would have put a cavalier to shame. It was bigger than Niko’s, dominating his entire face and making him look even older. 

“Eve, hi.” Her date stood, coming a whole two inches shorter than Eve. 

“Dave? H-hi.” Eve spluttered, offering her hand while he moved in for a hug. They shuffled awkwardly and shared a brief hug before taking their seats. 

“Dan.” He corrected her with a wavering smile. His whitened teeth were too wide for his mouth, giving him the appearance of a shark circling its prey. 

“I’m sorry?” 

“Dan. That’s my name. Not Dave.” 

“Oh. Oh my God, I’m so sorry Dav- Dan.” Eve flagged a passing waiter with a wave. “Vodka and tonic. Double. Please.” Dan already had a pint in front of him.

“Sorry. I would have got you a drink, but I didn’t know what you like. Plus, some women get weird about that stuff. You order for them and it’s this whole feminist bullshit. You know what I mean?”

“Uh-huh.” Eve discreetly glanced at her phone in her purse, willing Elena to call already. “So, Dan, was your profile picture an old photo or…?” 

“A few years old, yeah.” He shrugged. “But everybody does it, right? You look just like yours, though. God, you’re smoking hot!” He raked his eyes over her like he was eyeing up a prize steak. 

“Uh, thanks.” Eve idly stroked the back of her neck while glancing around the bar. She was looking for a way out of this car crash of a date. The bar was packed, with most of the tables filled. A lone blond woman occupied a booth straight across from the table where Eve and her date sat.

She was looking right at Eve. 

Picking up her glass, a champagne flute, she tipped it in Eve’s direction with a smirk. She looked to be in her early twenties, twenty-five at a push, with honey-blond hair tied back in an elaborate braided bun. Her features were delicate, while her eyes were sharp. She wore a tailored three piece suit and a crisp white shirt. A slim black tie hung around her neck. Eve couldn’t look away. 

“… Yeah so my bitch of an ex-wife got the house. I’m sure she was fucking her lawyer. That smug prick-” Dan rambled on, regardless of the fact that Eve wasn’t paying him the slightest bit of attention. 

The alluring woman took a long sip of her champagne before standing up and fastening the single button of her suit jacket. Eve thought she might head to the bar until she started walking towards her. She fixed her attention on Eve as she shot her a wink and mouthed, ‘Ready?’. 

“Hey you!” Her voice was loud and high pitched and nothing at all like what Eve expected. The woman leaned in close, embracing Eve in a hug like they were old friends. “Play along.” She muttered, her accent changing to something more European sounding. 

“Hi! Oh my god, it’s been forever!” Eve hugged her back, feigning surprise while Dan watched on unimpressed. 

“Totally!” Her accent morphed to American with shocking ease. “It’s been too long, babe!” 

“Um, excuse me, but we’re in the middle of something here, luv.” Dan sneered at the younger woman. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She gave him a sickly sweet smile that was anything but sincere. Turning back to Eve she said, “I was so sorry to hear about your husband!” 

Eve felt a moment of panic bubble up inside her. Did this woman know her? “My husband?” She repeated. 

“Yes. I was so sorry to hear about his passing. What rotten luck, I mean losing three husbands in five years. What are the chances?” Eve had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. The woman’s expression was so serious she could be an actress.

Dan shifted in his seat as he pulled out his phone. “Listen, Eve, I’m sorry but my daughter just messaged me. My grandson’s sick, I’ll have to go… but it was lovely to meet you.” He made his excuses and rushed off, disappearing into the crowd. 

Eve cracked up laughing the second he was out of earshot. “Did you see his face?” 

“I did. It was a picture.” The smooth European accent returned, along with the cocky smirk. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. You looked like you needed saving.” 

“No, I did. Thank you. Can I get you a drink or something? To say thanks for rescuing me?” 

“I have a bottle of Dom Perignon at my table. Would you like to help me finish it?” 

“Sure.” Eve followed the younger woman over to her booth. She stood, allowing Eve to slide in first before joining her. “I’m Eve.” She held out her hand, and the stranger shook it.

“Villanelle.” 

“Villanelle? Isn’t that a type of poem?” 

“Hmm.” Villanelle nodded as she poured out a second glass of champagne for Eve and topped up her own. “And Eve is biblical. Tell me, Eve, are you here to taste the forbidden fruit?” Villanelle handed over the champagne flute, letting her fingers graze against Eve’s.

“Something like that.” Eve let out a soft chuckle. She took a sip of her champagne. It went down smooth. Villanelle moved in closer, her knee pressing up against Eve’s. In her purse, her phone rang. “Sorry, excuse me.” Eve fished it out and saw Elena’s name on the screen. 

“Elena, hey.” She greeted her friend while glancing sideways at Villanelle. She had made herself comfortable, draping her arm along the back of the booth while spreading her legs. “No, it was a disaster. The guy was like sixty and his moustache was bigger than Niko’s. No, I’m not kidding! It’s not funny, Elena! No, I’m not on my way home. I’m still here… I’m having a drink.” She hastily thanked Elena for calling before hanging up. 

“Sorry about that. My friend Elena was meant to call to give me an out for that terrible date.” 

“Does your husband mind you dating?” Villanelle asked unexpectedly, catching Eve off guard. Her right hand moved to her ring finger, but she found it empty. 

“How did you-”

“You have a tan line on your ring finger.” She gave a casual shrug. “I’m not judging. I can only imagine what your husband must be like if you’re meeting guys like that douche.” 

Eve rubbed at the empty spot on her finger. “I… It’s a long story.” 

“The night is still young.” Villanelle picked the champagne bottle out of the ice bucket and topped up Eve’s glass. “And I’m all ears.” 

“… So I met with Dan tonight.” Eve finished telling her story to an attentive Villanelle ten minutes later. The other woman had listened intently the entire time. 

“Dan the douche.” 

“Yeah.” Eve snorted. She was on her second glass of champagne and the bubbles had gone straight to her head. Perhaps that was why she was sitting in a bar telling a complete stranger all about her failing marriage. 

“Your husband is a dick.” Said Villanelle. “And an idiot. You are gorgeous. Why would he want anything else?” Eve blushed at that. She dipped her head with a bashful smile. 

“Thanks. It’s the same old story. She’s younger, and she pays attention to him.” Eve shrugged dismissively. “You know how men can be. Stroke their egos and-” 

“I don’t care if she was an eighteen-year-old virgin with massive tits and the face of an angel, he is an idiot for cheating on you.” Villanelle was looking at her with a kind of intensity that Eve wasn’t used to seeing in other women. “If you were my wife, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight. Especially looking like that.” 

“That’s an interesting accent you have. Is it Russian?” Eve attempted to change the conversation. She reached over for the bottle to fill her glass, but found it empty. She frowned, wondering how they could have finished an entire bottle so soon. Villanelle held up her hand and snapped her fingers at a passing waitress. She nodded at the bottle and the young woman scurried away to fetch another. 

Eve watched the exchange, feeling something between intimidation and begrudging respect. Everything about Villanelle commanded authority and attention, from the way she spoke and dressed, to the way she sat. 

“Yes. I was born there, but I like to think I am the product of all the places I have been.” Coming from anyone else that might have sounded corny, but coming from Villanelle it sounded true. 

“You do an impressive American accent. Have you been to the states?” 

“Yes.” She nodded. “Among other places.” The waitress came over with a bottle sitting in a fresh bucket of ice. She swapped it over for the one on the table and poured both Villanelle and Eve a glass. Eve took her glass, thanking her. 

“My uncle raised me. He is a diplomat, so we travelled a lot. Washington, Berlin, Paris, we lived in many places.” Villanelle carried on, listing cities like anyone else might list their favourite dishes. 

“I’ve been in Paris for the last few years, but my uncle got posted in London and asked me to join him.” 

“What do you think of the city?” Asked Eve.

“It has its attractions. And you, how long have you lived here? Your accent is hardly local.”

“I was born here. My Dad came over for school and met my Mom. They moved back to Connecticut after I was born. I came back after my Dad died, so… sixteen years, give or take.”

“And do you like it? The city?” 

“Yes.” Eve agreed. “I love London. It’s home.” 

“What do you do for a living?” 

The question was a tricky one. Eve didn’t often talk to friends about her work, nevermind strangers. She wasn’t exactly a spy, but as a risk analyst she was privy to a fairly high security clearance. That attracted the wrong sort of attention.

The woman in front of her had a strangely calming effect on her. She decided to be honest. “I work for MI5.” 

“Really?” Villanelle’s hazel eyes lit up with excitement. “That sounds fun. Do you get to dress up and shoot people?”

“No. Nothing like that.” Eve laughed. “I’m a risky analyst. I analyse the risk posed to visiting politicians, dignitaries, right wing nut-jobs etc, and the risk they pose to the public. It’s far from glamorous. What about you?”

“I’m a day-trader… Currencies, interest-rate futures, yadda yadda.” Villanelle gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “It is exceedingly dull, but it pays well.” 

“I’ll bet.” Her suit looked like it cost more than Eve’s monthly mortgage payments, and the champagne was hardly cheap. “God, you’re so young and glamorous! I feel like I’m stagnating… Fifteen years of marriage and my husband cheats on me with a younger woman. It’s such a fucking cliche!” She shook her head in despair. When had she stopped being enough for Niko? 

“I don’t even think I want to have a one-night stand, I just want Niko to feel as shitty as I do.” She admitted quietly. Villanelle was sitting close enough to hear her. Eve wasn’t sure when the other woman’s hand had come to rest on her thigh.

“I might just tell him it happened.” She huffed with a sigh. Maybe that would be enough for her. 

“No!” Villanelle insisted, looking outraged at the very thought. “No, Eve! He got his. You need yours! It will be cathartic! But not with some sleazy old man from Tinder. You should pay him back in style! Hit him where it hurts! Fuck someone younger and hotter than this Gemma-woman… Someone who will show you a good time.”

“Like who?” Eve scoffed. She waved a hand around the bar. “It’s not like I’ve got hot young men lining up to sleep with me.” 

“Who said anything about a man?” Villanelle moved closer and purred in her ear. “I find women are much better lovers.” Eve almost choked on her champagne. She snorted into her glass. 

“Wait, are you being serious? Are you… you know-” 

“Gay?” Villanelle finished for her. “I screw men and women, if that answers your question. And yes, I’m deadly serious. You are beautiful, Eve. I would love to show you a good time. Make you forget all about your shitty husband.” She was looking at Eve with open admiration and something that looked a lot like lust. 

Eve felt her cheeks burning as a rush of pleasure shot straight between her legs. “I… I’m straight.” She stammered, refusing to acknowledge her body’s reaction to Villanelle’s proposal. 

“Gay, straight, what does it matter?” Villanelle ran her fingers along Eve’s cheek, eliciting an even stronger response in the older woman. Eve had to bite down on her lip to keep from moaning. “I can make you feel things you never have before, Eve. Trust me.” She moved in, intending to kiss her. 

Eve reared back in a panic. “It’s late. I have to go.” She went to stand. Villanelle caught her wrist, the pad of her thumb softly caressing the inside. 

“Let me give you my number. In case you change your mind.” Still keeping hold of her wrist, she reached for Eve’s phone with her free hand and expertly typed in her number before pressing call. Her own phone lit up, displaying Eve’s number. 

“There.” She handed the phone back with a smirk. “I look forward to hearing from you.” 

“Likewise.” Eve mumbled without thinking. Her phone felt like a tonne weight as she slipped it back into her purse. “It was nice to meet you, Villanelle.”

“The pleasure was all mine.” She brought Eve’s hand up to her mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “Don’t be a stranger, Eve.”

The Uber ride home seemed to take no time at all. One minute Eve was climbing into a car and the next she was standing outside her front door. She fished in her purse for her key, rather than knocking. It was late and Niko was probably already sleeping.

The house was in darkness as she slipped inside. The faint sound of the television drifted along the hallway to greet her. She followed it into the living room and found Niko asleep in his recliner. There was an old crochet blanket his mother had knitted them as a wedding present hanging on the back of the sofa. Eve fetched it and draped it over her sleeping husband. 

He stirred, his eyes opening slowly. “Eve. What time is it?” 

“Late.” She answered. “I told you not to wait up.” 

“Oh.” Realisation dawned and that same sad look he’d been wearing when she left returned. “You went through with it then.” He stiffened, sat up in the chair and rubbed at his face. 

“No.” 

“Oh thank God!” Niko sighed with relief. “I know I messed up, Eve, but I promise you we’ll make it through this! If you’d gone through with it, well… I’m not sure we could have bounced back.”

Eve stared at him in amazement. How dare he lecture her! He was the one who had taken their vows, along with fifteen years of marriage, and tossed them out the window. She felt anger stirring deep within her, like an animal coming out of hibernation. 

“Are you serious right now?! It’s good for you, but not for me? You fuck some whore and it’s all okay, but if I want to do it, it’s the end of the world? Go fuck yourself, Niko!” 

Eve stormed off, heading for the door. She paused when she got there, chest heaving, and turned around to face her husband. “For your information, the guy I was meeting was a total creep; but I met someone who was great… and I’m meeting them for dinner tomorrow night. Who knows, maybe we’ll skip the food and just bang right there on the table!” Eve slammed the door behind her. 

Her anger felt good, righteous even. She was done apologising for who she was. Niko had fucked up, not her. Eve was just settling the score. 

Fuelled by rage, she pulled out her phone and sent Villanelle a quick text asking her to dinner. Her reply came less than a minute later, confirming she was free and would love to see Eve again. 

Eve’s foolhardy pride left her the second she read Villanelle’s response. This was happening. She had just arranged a date with a woman who had made it glaringly obvious that she wanted to sleep with her. 

“Fuck.” She slumped on to her bed, letting her phone fall out of her hand. She waited to hear if Niko would follow her up. After a few minutes, it was clear he would sleep downstairs. 

Eve took off her dress and washed off her makeup before changing for bed. She was in a strange state, somewhere between blind rage and terror. Her body was vibrating as she got under the covers. 

She thought back to the bar; of Villanelle’s hand on her thigh and her fingers against her cheek. Her mind wandered in the dark, contemplating what her mouth might have felt like. Her full lips had looked soft and inviting. Eve imagined she would be a good kisser. 

A familiar tingle started in the pit of her stomach, like thousands of tiny butterflies were fluttering their wings inside of her. The feeling moved lower, settling at her core. 

Villanelle was an attractive woman - there was no denying that - but was Eve physically attracted to her? Could she imagine having sex with her? Or with any woman, for that matter? Had she been asked that question yesterday she would have answered with a firm no, but now she wasn’t so sure. 

With a frustrated sigh, she got out of bed and retrieved her laptop from her study. She grabbed her earphones while she was at it. Back in bed, she plugged the earphones in and waited impatiently for the computer to boot up. 

Bringing up a new browser page in Google, she typed in the words ‘lesbian porn’ and clicked search. Millions upon millions of results came back seconds later. Biting her lip, she clicked to filter the search to videos and began browsing. 

Nothing immediately jumped out at her. She clicked on a few videos, watching for a minute or two until the hammy acting and fake moans got the better of her. Slamming the lid on her laptop, she let out a huff. It had done nothing for her. 

She placed the computer on her bedside table and settled under the covers again, wondering whether it would be rude if she just didn’t text Villanelle the next day. They had agreed to meet, but they had made no definitive plans or arranged a time or place. Eve could just delete her number and not message her ever again. 

Villanelle and the memory of her could be Eve’s little secret, something for her and her alone. She could pack the other woman away and bring her memory back out on a rainy day for a thrill; the sexy younger woman who had almost seduced her. 

Lying there, Eve’s mind went to full lips and soft hands. The lingering images of the porn she’d watched seemed to be playing on a loop in her head. Only the actresses weren’t wide-eyed young woman with frighteningly long nails and fake tits. 

She imagined Villanelle’s weight on top of her. Her lips against hers, while skilful hands mapped Eve’s body and committed it to memory. “Fuck…” She let out a shaky breath as her own hand slipped into the front of her pants. She was already so turned on, and so wet, that it didn’t take much to push her over the edge.   
  
Villanelle’s name wrenched its way free from her lips as she came.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday morning Eve dressed and was out of the house before Niko even woke up. Elena had talked her into meeting for breakfast at their local pub near work. It was easy for her and Kenny. They only lived a stone throw away from Thames House, whereas Eve had to drive nearly forty minutes to meet them. 

It was after ten by the time she joined them at their usual table. “You look like shit.” Elena greeted her. There was a tepid cup of coffee waiting on the table for her. Eve drank it in almost one go, craving the caffeine fix. 

“Thanks.” She rolled her eyes at the younger woman. Elena could go to a club and roll home pissed as a fart at 4am and look fine after a few hours sleep. Eve wasn’t so lucky. A few glasses of champagne and one late night and she was suffering for it. She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head as she picked up the breakfast menu. 

“I’ve already ordered for you. Full English with extra bacon.” 

“Elena, you are a godsend!” Eve sighed. She replaced the menu and slumped back in her seat. 

“C’mon then. I’m waiting for all the juicy details!” Elena sat forward, resting her chin on her hands as she waited eagerly for Eve to tell her all about her night. “If Dan the Man was such a disappointment then who were you having a drink with last night?” 

Eve felt a familiar flutter in her stomach. She had blamed her attraction to Villanelle on the champagne the night before, but even stone cold sober - if a little hungover - there was still something about the other woman that set her heart racing. 

“Uh, this woman saved me from him, so we had a few drinks together.” 

“A few drinks?” Elena scrutinised her as a waitress brought their food over. She set a plate piled with food in front of Eve, who couldn’t wait to tuck in. There was no better cure for a hangover than a greasy breakfast. 

“Yeah.” Eve didn’t offer anymore than that. She wasn’t sure if she would meet Villanelle for dinner, and she knew Elena wouldn’t let it drop if she found out she had a potential date with a woman. 

“You didn’t shag her then?” 

“What? No!” Eve spluttered, almost choking on a hash brown. She washed it down with Kenny’s glass of orange juice and shot him an apology. “Sorry Kenny. I’ll get you another one.”

“That’s okay. I’ll get it.” Kenny looked just as uncomfortable as Eve with the conversation. “I’ll get you another coffee too.” 

“Thanks.” 

Elena waited until Kenny was out of earshot before rounding on Eve. “So what was she like, this mysterious saviour?”

“She was nice.” Eve shrugged, trying her best not to tip her hand. Elena was good at her job because she was observant and Eve wasn’t known for her poker face. 

“Nice… Was she younger, older, tall, short, fat, thin?” 

“Younger. Tall. Thin.” Eve answered bluntly, hoping to shake Elena off the scent of scandal. Her brief answers backfired, though, making the other woman even more curious. 

“You’re hiding something. I can tell.” 

“No I’m not.” 

“You are! Spill it, Polastri!” 

“All right, fine! She was intense and glamorous and fucking gorgeous, okay?” Eve finally burst. She couldn’t keep it inside any longer. She had to tell someone about Villanelle. “And I told her my sad, shitty story about my husband cheating on me, and how I wanted to get back at him and… and she offered to have sex with me!”

“Um…” Kenny, who had just returned from the bar, hovered awkwardly by his chair. “I forgot my straw.” He dumped his orange juice and Eve’s coffee on the table and made a beeline back to the bar. 

Eve groaned into her hands. She would never be able to look him in the eye again. Elena was nowhere near as shocked by her admission. If anything she seemed impressed. “Eve Polastri, you dirty dog! I didn’t know you had it in you!” 

“I didn’t sleep with her!” Eve shouted, attracting some unwanted attention from an elderly couple at a nearby table. Lowering her voice, she hissed, “I said no, obviously!” 

“Why not?” 

“Because she’s a woman! And… and like half my age!” 

“Even better! That will really stick it to Niko! Did you get her number? What’s her name? Are you going to see her again?” Elena was like an over excited child as she rattled off question after question for a beleaguered Eve. 

At the bar Kenny was taking his sweet time in getting a straw, giving the girls time to talk. 

“Her name is Villanelle.” 

“Villanelle? Sexy. What does she do?”

“She’s a day trader.” 

“Ugh, less sexy. Good money though, is she rich?” 

“She was drinking expensive as shit champagne, so I’m gonna guess yeah. She gave me her number… We’re supposed to be meeting for dinner tonight.” 

“Supposed to be?” Elena’s eyes widened. “There is no way you are backing out of this, Polastri! Not on my watch! You get yourself to that dinner and you shag that gorgeous woman, do you hear me?” 

“Yes.” Eve chuckled, no longer feeling unsure of herself. Villanelle was young and hot. She was offering Eve a once in a lifetime opportunity with no strings attached. She would be an idiot to pass that up. “I hear you, and I’ll think about it. I’m meeting Martin for coffee later. Maybe I’ll talk to him about it.” 

Martin - Dr Martin Akhtar - was a psychologist who consulted for MI6. Eve had met him a few years earlier when he’d carried out her psyche evaluation. It was mandatory for Eve and her team to be assessed regularly, due to the high pressure nature of their jobs. 

Martin had become something of a friend, and a sounding board for some of Eve’s stranger notions. Usually they revolved around her work, but every once in a while he was useful for what was going on in her private life. 

“Eve, great to see you.” He greeted her with a friendly smile and moved aside some of his papers so she could take a seat opposite him at his desk. “How’s things?” 

“Fine. Everything is fine.” Somehow Eve always felt like she was sitting in front of the principal whenever they met in his office. She handed over the coffee she’d bought him from Starbucks on the way over.   
“Really?” He scrutinised her. “You call me up, out of the blue, for coffee on a Saturday afternoon and everything is fine?” 

“Mostly fine? Okay, so… Niko cheated on me.” Eve told him the entire story, right up to the part where she was supposed to be having dinner with a stranger with the intentions of sleeping with her. 

“Eve, that’s crazy! You can’t possibly think sleeping with someone else will in any way help you fix your marriage? If anything it’s just going to cause a larger rift between the two of you.” 

“So I’m supposed to just let him get away with it? Move on and act like nothing happened?”

“That’s not what I said. This Villanelle character, are you attracted to her? Sexually?” 

Eve took a moment to think over her answer. “Yes.” She nodded. “I am. I’ve never had an interest in women before, but there’s something about Villanelle… God, I don’t know if I want to fuck her or be her!” She threw her hands up in the air. 

“I can’t make your decision for you, but as your friend I can advise you. I think it would be a bad idea for you to entertain the notion of sleeping with someone other than your husband. I don’t think you should see this woman anymore.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Eve felt a vibration against the side of her leg as she received a text. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she found a message from Villanelle waiting for her. 

**‘V: Still on for tonight? - V x.’**

“I’ll think it over.” She lied to Martin’s face as she sent a quick reply to Villanelle. 

“Good. That’s good, Eve. You’ll see it makes sense.” 

**‘Eve: Yes. Where and when?’**

**‘V: 7pm. Gauthier in Soho. I live nearby - V x.’**

* * *

An hour before Eve was due to meet Villanelle at the restaurant, she was busy fixing her hair into a bun in the bathroom mirror. She was wearing a black and white dress that Elena had insisted on Eve borrowing from her. Eve had refused the offer at first, insisting it was too formal and nothing like she would usually wear; but then she’d looked up the restaurant Villanelle wanted to meet in. 

Gauthier was an expensive as fuck French restaurant in the trendier part of Soho. ‘Too formal’ wouldn’t be a problem. 

“You look nice.” Niko hovered by the door. He looked like shit. There were bags under his eyes and stubble on his chin, as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days. He was still wearing the same shirt from the day before. 

“Thanks.” 

“What’s he like then? This bloke from the pub?” Eve decided not to correct him on the gender of her date. It would only eat away at him. 

“Nice.” She repeated the answer she had given to Elena.

“What’s he do?” 

“Day trading. And twenty-six, before you ask.” 

“Twenty-six?” Niko snorted. “Jesus, talk about robbing the cradle.” 

“Because it’s so much better the whore you cheated with was over thirty?” Eve snapped at him. 

“Eve-” She pulled away as he tried to touch her arm. 

“Don’t wait up.” 

Eve arrived at Gauthier just before seven. She approached the maitre d’ with a nervous smile. “Hi, I’m meeting someone here. I’m not sure what the table was booked under-” 

“Not a problem, madame. May I ask if your name is Eve?” The man was French, but he spoke perfect English. 

“Uh, yeah. Yes, it is. How did you know?” 

“Miss Astankova informed me her guest would be an Asian-American woman with amazing hair. Please, right this way.” Eve was blushing as she followed him through the busy restaurant. He lead her towards the kitchen at the back, then stopped in front of a door labelled with a gold plaque. 

The Chef’s Room.

“Enjoy your evening.” He ushered Eve inside and closed the door behind her, cutting off the noise from the crowded restaurant. Inside the room was like stepping into a private world. There was a round dining table set up for two in the middle of the room, in front of rows upon rows of expensive wine bottles. 

Villanelle was already seated. She wore her hair back in a simple yet elegant pony tail, and she had traded her suit for slacks and a white blouse with a plunging neckline that revealed there was no way she could be wearing a bra. A gold pendant dangled around her neck, coming to rest against the exposed skin between her breasts. As if the plunging neckline wasn’t enough to draw Eve’s attention. 

“Eve.” She greeted her with a genuine smile and stood up to get her chair for her. She pulled it out, waited for Eve to sit, and then tucked it back in. “I’m glad you came.” 

“Me too.” Eve said and found she meant it. She had been second guessing herself all day, but now she was there the doubts had all but left. A waiter came in silently, from a door leading from the kitchen, and offered the bottle of champagne he was carrying for Villanelle’s consideration. It must have been acceptable, because she nodded and he began pouring it into both their glasses. 

Eve thanked him and took a hasty sip. “This place must cost a fortune. You should have told me I’d need to take out a second mortgage to see you again.” 

“Nonsense.” Villanelle chided. “It’s on me.” 

“Villanelle, I couldn’t possibly let you pay for all this. I’ll pay my half.” 

“Don’t be silly, Eve. A woman like you deserves to be treat to the finest things in life.” Eve felt herself blushing again at the compliment. She took another swig of her champagne. 

“I just don’t want you getting the wrong idea-”

“Don’t worry, Eve. You won’t have to sleep with me just because I buy you a fancy dinner.” She teased, her accent coming out stronger than it had in the club the night before. “If you get desert on the other hand…” She grinned as Eve broke out in laughter. 

It felt good to be at ease with someone. She couldn’t remember the last time she and Niko had a conversation that bordered on civil, never-mind jovial. Villanelle was so easy to talk to. It felt like Eve had known her forever, not just a day. 

Dinner was amazing and the dessert they ordered to share was heavenly. Eve was fit to burst by the time a waiter came with coffee. She ignored it in favour of her wine glass, which had been topped up all night by the attentive waiting staff. 

Villanelle saw to the bill, whispering conspiratorially with the maitre d’ as he came to check how their meal had been. She pulled out a gold credit card and handed it over to him. He disappeared with it and returned a few minutes later - just long enough for Villanelle to make a crack about Eve needing to take off her heels if the card were declined and they had to run for it. 

“I live nearby if you’d like to come for a coffee?” Eve hadn’t touched the coffee sitting on the table in front of her, but that wasn’t what Villanelle was offering. 

“Sure.” 

Villanelle ordered them a taxi, and they climbed into the back together. They sat so close that their thighs were pressing. Eve stared out of the window as the grey streets of London passed by in a blur. She was afraid to turn her head and look at the other woman out of fear of what she might say - or do.

Villanelle’s ‘place’ turned out to be a converted warehouse in an up-and-coming part of West London. She opened the door and invited Eve in with a flourish of her hand. 

The apartment was open plan and Eve could see the kitchen and living room from where she stood at the top of the stairs, but the thing that caught her eye was a big round bed in the middle of the floor. Her stomach dropped. 

“Are you okay?” Villanelle appeared behind her, placing a gentle hand on her hip. 

“Hmm? Oh, yeah.” Eve shrugged off her coat as the other woman reached for it. She hung it over the bannister. “Just… nervous.” 

“Do I make you nervous, Eve?” Villanelle cocked a smile, running her hand lightly down Eve’s back and making her shiver. 

“Yes.” She answered honestly, but rather than moving away from Villanelle’s touch she arched back into it. “Do you have anything to drink? Anything alcoholic?” 

“Of course. Take a seat, I’ll be right back.” Villanelle wandered deeper into the apartment to fetch them some drinks, leaving Eve to her own devices. She looked from the bed to a leather sofa in the opposite corner of the room, sitting in front of a bank of square glass windows. She chose the sofa, deeming it the safer option of the two. 

Villanelle joined her after a minute, carrying two glasses of wine. She handed one to Eve as she took a seat beside her. “Thanks.” Eve took a long drink, trying to steady her nerves. 

“This place must cost a-” Villanelle cut her off as she leaned in closer, intending to kiss her. The older woman panicked and her glass of wine ended up all down the front of Villanelle’s shirt. 

“Oh shit! I’m sorry!” Eve reached out to help as Villanelle jumped up. She let her hands drop as she realised there was nothing she could do. “I am so sorry!” 

“It’s fine.” Villanelle laughed as she unbuttoned her blouse and peeled it off her athletic frame. She dropped it to the floor before adding, “These things happen. Let me grab another shirt. I’ll just be a second.” 

Eve sat alone and mortified as Villanelle disappeared through a doorway. Eve assumed it was her bedroom, but that wouldn’t explain what her bed was doing in the middle of the apartment; besides the obvious. 

“What the hell am I doing here?” Left alone, Eve’s embarrassment morphed into blind panic. She stood up, ready to bolt, but didn’t get more than a step before Villanelle reappeared. 

“Are you leaving?” She didn’t sound judgemental or mad, which just made Eve feel even more shitty. 

“Uh, no. No I was…” She trailed off, unable to come up with a convincing lie on the spot. “Okay, yes. I was going to leave. I’m sorry I just-”

“You’re nervous. That’s okay.” Villanelle approached her slowly, like Eve was some wounded, skittish, animal. “We don’t have to do anything tonight Eve. There’s no time limit on your arrangement with your husband, is there?” 

“No.” 

“Well then.” Villanelle took a seat on the sofa and patted the empty spot next to her. Eve moved stiffly and sat down beside her, keeping a respectable distance between them. “I would really like to sleep with you, Eve, but I can be patient. I can wait until you are ready.” 

“What if I’m never ready?” Asked Eve. She was attracted to Villanelle, there was no denying that, but feeling something and acting on it were two very different things. “You’re amazing, and you’re young and successful and fucking gorgeous… but I’ve never been with a woman before. I don’t even know if I could have sex with you. I mean, I was watching lesbian porn last night, and it just did nothing for me.” Eve shook her head, some of her thick curls coming loose from her bun. 

“Lesbian porn?” Villanelle repeated, struggling to keep a straight face. 

“Don’t laugh!” Sulked Eve. 

“I’m sorry! It’s just… Eve, porn is made by men for men. It has nothing to do with pleasing women. Trust me… Can I kiss you?” Eve didn’t answer, but she didn’t pull away this time as Villanelle leaned in towards her. 

Her lips were soft yet firm. Kissing Villanelle was like nothing she had ever experienced before. The tiny flutters in her stomach were erupting into waves as they washed up and down her body. Eve was hesitant at first, but she soon got into it and began kissing her back. 

Villanelle brought a hand up to Eve’s hair and gently tugged it free of the bun she’d tied it in. She pulled away with a grin, looking at Eve like she was something rare and precious. “You should wear it down.” 

Eve nodded, her eyes still glued to Villanelle’s lips. She wanted to kiss her again; and more than that. Eve wanted to do so much more with the incredible woman sitting in front of her. Feeling a rush of bravery, Eve kissed her again. 

Had she ever felt that with Niko, back in the day when they’d both been young and their bodies had been so new to one another? Was the spark she felt with Villanelle something old and long forgotten, or something new? 

“That was… wow.” Eve found her voice again and let out a shaky laugh. She was like a teenager again, so unsure of herself and what she was feeling. 

“That’s one word for it.” Villanelle traced a finger lightly along her jaw, and Eve arched forward into her touch. She tried to kiss her again, but Villanelle pulled away. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Why not?” Eve frowned. She didn’t understand. Things had been going great, so why was Villanelle suddenly growing cold with her? 

“I’m afraid if I kiss you again, I won’t be able to stop.” Villanelle answered honestly. “I should call you a cab.” She added the last statement almost as a question, like she was asking if that was what Eve wanted. 

“That’s probably for the best.” Eve agreed with her, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. “Can I see you again? Soon, I mean.” 

“Of course. Whenever you are ready.” 

“I’ll get this dry cleaned for you.” Eve reached down for the stained shirt on the floor between them. 

“You don’t have to do that.” Villanelle insisted. 

“No. I do. At least if I take this it gives me a reason to come back… So I won’t chicken out.

“Oh. Then that is an excellent idea.” Villanelle saw her to the door. She kissed her briefly, and Eve experienced the same spark she’d experienced earlier. “See you soon, Eve.”


	4. Chapter 4

It was after midnight when Eve made it home. The house she shared with Niko was in darkness as she slipped her key into the front door. Inside, she kicked off her heels at the bottom of the stairs and draped Villanelle’s stained shirt over the bannister. 

With some struggle, she unzipped her dress and peeled it away from her body before padding barefoot into the kitchen with her purse slung over her shoulder. She dropped the borrowed dress into the laundry hamper, intending to wash it before returning it to Elena. She placed her purse on the counter. 

Eve was buzzed from the champagne at dinner, followed by the wine at Villanelle’s place, so she fetched a pint glass from one of the kitchen cupboards and filled it with water straight from the tap. 

Taking the glass with her, Eve took a seat at her dining room table, sitting there in nothing more than her fanciest matching bra and knickers. She couldn’t remember the last time she had worn the lacey black lingerie set. Maybe it had been for Niko’s last birthday, or their anniversary?

Eve took a large gulp of the water, trying to clear her head. Villanelle was all she could think about it. Her soft, full lips, her teasing smile, her small, pert breasts… 

This was all getting out of hand. Eve was meant to be getting back at Niko for his indiscretion, not having a sexual awakening. Things would have been so much simpler if she had just screwed that Dave guy from Tinder. Instead, she was sitting there in the dark thinking about how badly she wanted to fuck a woman almost half her age. 

Over on the kitchen counter, her phone buzzed from inside her purse. She retrieved it and sat back down at the table. The message was from Villanelle. It brought a smile to her face. 

**V: Did you get home okay? I wish I hadn’t let you go x.**

Eve typed out a reply, telling the other woman she was home safe and finishing with ‘me too’. She found herself wishing Villanelle hadn’t stopped her from kissing her. 

‘I’m afraid if I kiss you again right now I won’t be able to stop.’

Eve shivered at the memory of Villanelle’s husky tone and lust filled gaze. Did she want her to stop? At the time she hadn’t, but after the fact Villanelle’s reasoning seemed sound. If Eve had stayed, they would have had sex, whether she was ready or not. 

She turned her phone off before Villanelle could reply and make her an offer she couldn’t ignore. Finishing her water, she left the glass and her phone on the table and went up to bed. 

Niko was lying on his back and snoring, which he only did when he drank. Eve manoeuvred him on to his side before she pulled on an old t-shirt and slipped in beside him. 

She stared at the back of her husband’s head, wondering when their marriage had become so strained. When had the man she loved stopped being enough for her? When had she stopped being enough for him? Not even a year ago Eve would have laughed if someone had told her Niko would cheat. He just wasn’t the type. 

Was Eve? Could she go through with sleeping with Villanelle? Could she stop herself from seeing the younger woman again if she did? Questions swirled around Eve’s mind while sleep evaded her. She reached out and placed a hand on Niko’s shoulder, feeling like if she could just hold on they might be okay. 

Hours later, at an ungodly time on a Sunday morning, Eve’s house phone started ringing. The shrill sound carried throughout the house and up to her bedroom, rousing her from her stupor. She pulled her pillow over her head with a groan, while Niko stirred beside her. The phone kept ringing. 

“I’ll get it then, shall I?” Niko grumbled. Eve felt the bed shift with his weight as he stood up. She didn’t try to follow him. If anyone needed her, they would call her mobile, not the house phone. It was probably Niko’s mother. The woman had a tendency to call at the worst times. 

Eve was just drifting back to sleep when Niko hollered up for her. “Eve! It’s for you!” He sounded angry, and he didn’t look too happy when he brought the cordless phone up to her a few moments later and found her still buried under the covers. “Eve, it’s work.” 

He shoved the phone under her nose and stomped back out of the room. Eve huffed, pushed the covers away and picked up the phone. “Hello?” 

“Eve, nice of you to finally answer.” Carolyn’s curt tone greeted her from the other end of the line. Eve glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table. It was barely past six. Why was Carolyn calling her so early? Especially on a Sunday morning. 

“Carolyn? What’s going on? Why didn’t you call my cell? Uh, mobile.” She corrected herself. It was too early, and she was too hungover to be talking to her boss. 

“I did. Several times. I need you and your team to come in. Forthwith, I’m afraid. Do give my apologies to Niko.” Eve would do no such thing. If anyone deserved an apology, it was her. She hung up before she could say anything tart to Carolyn. The last thing she needed was to take her irritation out on her boss. 

Eve showered and threw on her work clothes in under five minutes. A personal best. She tied her damp hair back in a bun on her way downstairs. Niko was waiting for her in the kitchen. 

There were bags under his eyes, deep dark circles that made him look far older than his forty-five years. He ran a hand through his moustache before crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you going somewhere?” 

“Uh, work. Carolyn needs me.” 

“Right.” He nodded and Eve thought he might leave it at that, but she wasn’t so lucky. “Eve, can we talk?” 

“Sure. Can it wait until tonight, though?” She popped two aspirin, hoping to relieve her headache. Champagne did not agree with her. 

“No, not really. Last night, did you…” He faltered and rubbed at his moustache again. “Is it done with?” 

“Is what done?” Asked Eve. “Are you asking me if I slept with Villanelle?” The name slipped from her mouth without permission. Niko’s eyes narrowed. He was a maths teacher, but he was well-read enough to know a villanelle was a form of poetry. 

“Villanelle? What kind of name is that?” He scoffed. 

“European.” It wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t the full truth. Eve didn’t feel like explaining to her husband that Villanelle was actually a woman’s name. 

“And will you be seeing Villanelle again?” 

“Yes, I will. I want to get to know... them better first.” 

“That wasn’t the deal-” 

“You’ve known Gemma for years. You still see her every day, so yes I will see Villanelle again; maybe even a few times. Deal with it.” 

“You’re a lot of things, Eve, but you’ve never been cruel… This is cruel.” 

* * *

“This is inhumane!” Elena sighed dramatically at Eve as she threw herself into her office chair. Kenny followed close behind her and offered Eve a sheepish smile, fully aware his mother was the reason they were all working during the weekend. 

Eve, who had arrived first just after eight o’clock, scanned the brief Carolyn had emailed her on the way over. A right-wing Russian political theorist by the name of Dragan Horvat had scheduled a last minute visit to London to give a lecture at Conway Hall on Tuesday night. 

Eve’s team, known as P3, was a subsection of the Joint Services Analysis Group. Their function was to assess the threat to, and posed by, ‘high-risk’ individuals visiting the UK. They liaised with the Metropolitan Police, advising them when specialist protection would be needed. 

They dealt with everything from extremist preachers to humanitarians; and occasionally crackpot right-wing authors like Horvat who wrote about the mystical bonds between Europe and Russia and how they should unite against the expanding influences of the US. 

“Yeah, this prick Horvat could have waited until Monday to book his flight.” Huffed Hugo. He sat with his feet up on his desk, tossing a squash ball in the air and catching it with one hand.

“Some people are so inconsiderate!” Elena agreed. “Kenny and I didn’t even get home to bed until after two!” 

“At least you got to bed.” Hugo grumbled, his hair dishevelled. Eve was choking on his cologne even from the other side of the office. “Where’s Bill, anyway? Why hasn’t he been dragged in too?” 

“He’s on his way.” Said Eve. Bill had texted her half an hour ago saying he would be ten minutes. She cringed as she took a sip of tepid coffee from the mug that had been sitting on her desk for almost an hour. 

The headache she’d woken up with wasn’t easing off, if anything it was getting worse. She fished in her drawer, looking for the packet of paracetamol she kept in there. 

“Looks like we weren’t the only ones to have a rough night.” Elena gave her a knowing smile while leaning over their shared desks. “How was your date with La Villanelle? Did you skip dinner and go straight to eating her out?” 

“Elena!” 

“What’s this about girl-on-girl action?” Hugo wheeled his chair over to Eve’s desk, muscling in on the conversation between her and Elena. Eve gave his chair a shove, sending him back where he came from before turning on Elena. 

“We had dinner and a few drinks. That’s it. Well… she kissed me and I threw my wine all over her, but that was it.” 

“You chucked wine on her?” Elena’s eyes widened at the revelation, while Hugo let out a chuckle. 

“You know I’m still available, right?” He grinned at Eve with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. 

“Get stuffed, Hugo. C’mon, Eve, let’s go grab a coffee from Costa and have some girl talk.” Elena stood up and linked her arm into Eve’s dragging her to her feet. 

She waited until they were in line at the coffee shop before picking up where they’d left off. “Are you going to see her again then?” 

“Yes.” Said Eve. There was no doubt in her mind that she would see Villanelle again. Not seeing her wasn’t even an option at this point. Whether she would sleep with her was still up in the air. 

“When she kissed me… God, I feel like a teenager with a crush!” Eve covered her face with her hands as they took a seat at a table by the window. “I haven’t been like this since Niko and I first started dating. It’s… It’s a rush.” 

Sitting across from her, Elena was unusually quiet. She sipped at her coffee with a pensive look. Eve continued. “Niko thinks I’m being cruel, drawing it out because I haven’t slept with her yet, not that he knows Villanelle is a woman. I’ve seen her twice, and he sees Gemma almost every day! That’s cruel!” 

Elena considered this. “Do you think it’s happened more than once? With him and Gemma?” Eve shook her head. She didn’t think so. Niko was wracked with guilt when he’d admitted his indiscretion to her. Eve was sure it had been a onetime thing. 

“He’s not like that. That tramp he works with has been after him for ages. He probably had too much to drink.” Said Eve. 

“That’s no excuse, Eve. I’ve seen you pissed as a fart with Hugo all over you and you’ve never strayed! Screw what he thinks, go fuck your sexy French girl.” 

“She’s Russian.” 

“Even better.”

* * *

  
Monday morning saw Eve dropping Villanelle’s shirt at the dry-cleaners down the street from where she worked. She sent Villanelle a quick text letting her know she was getting the shirt cleaned. Eve had barely hit send and pocketed her phone when it rang. “Does that mean I will get to see you soon?” Even without checking the caller ID, Eve knew it was Villanelle; she didn’t get many calls from Russians with silky smooth voices that twisted her insides and left her in knots with only a handful of words.

“I guess it does.” 

“Great, what are you doing right now?” 

“I’m heading to work.” Eve laughed into the phone, holding it against her ear with her shoulder as she searched her bag for her pass. “Shouldn’t you be doing the same?”

“I’m already here. It is very boring. Talking to you is much more fun, though I would rather do it in person. What are you doing for lunch?” 

Eve bit her lip and played coy. “Why don’t you tell me?” 

“Do you like seafood? I know a place, I promise you’ll love it.” 

“Sure, sounds great.” Eve would go just about anywhere with Villanelle if it meant she got to see the other woman again. 

“Great, I’ll pick you up at noon. Text me the address of your work.”

The morning dragged on endlessly for Eve. She spent every other second glancing at the clock on her computer screen, willing it to go faster. It seemed to stop all together as noon approached. “You coming with us to the pub, or staying with the old man?” Hugo asked her, pointing to Bill with his thumb as he pulled out his packed lunch. 

“Oi, less of the old!” Said Bill. 

Eve ignored their squabbling as her phone lit up with Villanelle’s name and a message saying she was outside. “Eve?” Hugo tried again.

“Huh? Oh, sorry. No, I’ve got plans.” She stuffed her phone into her purse and slung it over her shoulder. She was the first one out the door, with Hugo, Elena and Kenny following close behind. Eve hoped to make it outside before the others, but she was slowed down at security by the queue of people waiting to swipe their passes out to go to lunch. The rest of Eve’s team made it out just after her, but not in time to see the silver-grey Audi that pulled up in front of her, nor the attractive woman that was driving it. 

Villanelle leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “It’s nice to see you. Thank you for agreeing to lunch, and I promise not to fuck you… not unless you ask me nicely.” Villanelle smirked. Her confidence was astounding, though in Eve’s opinion she had plenty to be cocky about. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

The restaurant Villanelle took her to was just as fancy as the one from Saturday night. Sexy Fish was an Asian restaurant with a focus on Japanese food. It was in Mayfair and decorated with pieces from artists like Damien Hirst. Eve couldn’t quite decide if it was gaudy or chic. An enormous pair of mermaid sculptures adorned the bar while luminescent koi-carp hung above it. 

Eve and Villanelle were seated in a booth by a glittery crocodile on the wall. Eve opened the à la carte menu and gasped. “Villanelle, this is nearly ninety pounds a person! I’d have to take out a second mortgage to eat here!” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Villanelle dismissed her concerns with a casual wave of her hand. “It’s my treat.” 

“You paid for dinner Saturday. It’s too much, I can’t let you pay for lunch.” 

“You can repay me with your company.” Villanelle winked suggestively at her from across the table. She picked up the drinks menu as a waitress approached them. “Did you know this place has the largest collection of Japanese whisky in the world? Do you drink whisky?” 

“Yeah, but not on a Monday afternoon.” Eve picked up the drinks menu and scanned it as the waitress waited patiently for her order. 

“You’re right, let’s have a cocktail. Hmm, they don’t have my favourite.” Villanelle lowered her own menu and stared Eve right in the eye as she said, “It’s a Long Slow Comfortable Screw up Against the Wall.” 

Eve cleared her throat and dropped her gaze back to the menu, feeling her cheeks growing hot while Villanelle sat composed, feigning innocence. “I, uh, I’m not familiar with that one.” 

“Really? That’s a shame. It can be very good… depending on who gives it to you.” 

Villanelle carried on staring at her with a knowing smile playing on her lips. She was enjoying making Eve squirm. Well, two could play at that game. “Huh, I dunno… I feel like having a White Russian. I hear they’re good.” Villanelle licked her lips, her eyes lighting up in amusement; and arousal. 

“Let’s start with two Golden Riviera’s and see where the afternoon goes. Thank you.” She took the drinks menu from Eve and handed it, along with hers, to the waitress. A Golden Riviera turned out to be spicy tequila and champagne, along with a citrus sherbet and an orange and chamomile syrup. It was sweet and spicy and strong enough to make Eve’s toes curl. She took measured sips and made it last. 

Lunch was equally elaborate. The seafood was fresh and flavourful, probably the best Eve had tasted. She gorged herself on the ten dishes Villanelle ordered between them, trying a bit of everything. The conversation never stopped. Talking to Villanelle was like talking to an old friend. She was vibrant and charming and funny and had Eve hooked on her every word. 

“Why did you approach me in that bar?” Eve asked out of nowhere. It had been playing on her mind for days. “You could have had your pick and, hell, there were younger and prettier woman in that bar than me-” 

“Younger maybe, but not prettier.” Villanelle reached across the table and covered Eve’s hand with her own. “You are stunning, Eve. Don’t put yourself down. You are a beautiful woman, and your husband is an idiot. His loss is my gain.” She ran the pad of her thumb along the inside of Eve’s wrist.

They’d been there for over an hour and Eve was due back at work. She glanced at her wrist with a pang of resentment. Villanelle followed her gaze and seemed to read her mind. “Do you want to play hooky with me today?” 

“Don’t you have stocks to trade? I bet you’re losing millions just sitting here with me.” It wasn’t a flat out no. It might have been the cocktail going to her head, but Eve was considering it. The risk assessment on Horvat still wasn’t finished though, and Carolyn would kill her if she went AWOL. 

“You’re worth every penny, and besides, I already took the afternoon off.”

“That was presumptuous of you.” Eve picked up her glass and finished what was left of her drink. She felt a small thrill in the pit of her stomach as Villanelle tipped her hand. Villanelle gave the older woman a confident grin as she slipped off one of her strappy satin Louboutin heels and slid her bare foot up the inside of Eve’s pant leg.

“What can I say? I’m an optimist. Do you like movies, Eve?” 

After an awkward call to Bill, Eve couldn’t face calling in sick to Carolyn directly. She let Villanelle drive her to the nearest cinema, which was the Vue in Piccadilly. It was a standard chain cinema, brightly lit with neon lights and smelling of popcorn. 

Villanelle ordered a large tub of it as she bought their tickets. “Are you kidding me? We just ate half the Atlantic and now you’re going to eat all that?” 

“What? I have a very high metabolism.” Villanelle huffed, and then - with a suggestive smile - added, “I need to keep my energy levels up.” 

“Hmm.” Eve took her small coke from the counter and followed Villanelle over to the attendant who tore their tickets and directed them to screen five. Eve hadn’t caught what movie Villanelle had booked. She wasn’t sure it would matter too much. 

“The back row?” Eve cocked an eyebrow when the younger woman led her up the stairs to the middle of the back row. Villanelle was innocence personified as she took Eve’s coat from her with a shrug. 

“I wanted a nice view.” 

They took their seats right before the lights dimmed and the adverts started. Villanelle took a handful of popcorn before offering the tub to Eve. She shook her head and sipped at her coke.

It took all of ten minutes for Villanelle to stretch out and drape her arm over the back of Eve’s chair. The move was about as original as the hammy comedy they were watching. Eve pushed up the arm rest sitting between them and shuffled closer, leaning into Villanelle. 

She felt like a teenager again when Villanelle kissed her; she hadn’t made out in the back of a movie theatre in over twenty years. Villanelle’s mouth was soft, her tongue gentle but demanding. It was different to kissing Niko, with his chapped lips and bristly moustache. 

Villanelle brought a hand up to cup one of Eve’s breasts, making her gasp and pull back. There were only a handful of other people in the auditorium and none of them heard her over the boom of the speakers, but Eve still felt her cheeks running hot.

“I’m sorry, was that not okay?” Villanelle let her hand drop to Eve’s knee. She looked confused, like she had been following a map perfectly well, only to find out she had arrived at the wrong destination.

“No, it was.” Eve whispered in the dark, not wanting to draw any attention to them. “It was just a shock. It’s been a while since I was groped in the back row of a cinema.” She chuckled, feeling giddy and lightheaded. It had nothing to do with the cocktail she’d had at lunch, and everything to do with the woman beside her. 

“That is shocking, Eve!” Villanelle feigned surprise, her hand finding its way back to Eve’s breast. “Let me fix that for you...” She leaned in and kissed her again, her mouth hot and insistent while her fingers kneaded the soft flesh of Eve’s breast over her shirt. 

It was what Eve’s father would have called heavy petting, and it lasted throughout the rest of the movie. The credits were halfway through rolling by the time they realised everyone else had left. 

After ninety minutes of making out with Villanelle, and her hands roaming over Eve’s body, Eve was so horny she was vibrating like a tuning fork with every brief touch. 

It was still early in the afternoon and Eve wasn’t due to finish work for another hour. Niko would be suspicious if she was home before he was; at least that was what she told herself when she accepted Villanelle’s offer to go back to her place. 

The converted industrial unit looked much the same as it did when Eve had last been there, except there was sun shining through the stained glass windows, creating elaborate patterns on the floor. 

Villanelle saw to her and Eve’s coats, hanging them both up on the rack at the top of the stairs, and sauntered over to her liquor cabinet. “What can I get you? Would you like that slow comfortable screw up against the wall now?” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively at the older woman. 

“Uh, I’ll take a vodka tonic for now.” Eve took a seat on the leather couch. She might have let Villanelle feel her up during the movie, but she wasn’t ready to go further just yet. 

“Sure thing.” Villanelle hid her disappointment well as she picked up a bottle of Grey Goose. She poured generously into two tumblers and added a splash of tonic before handing one over to Eve. She took a seat beside her, cradling her own glass. 

“I’m sorry.” Eve apologised again. “I’m not ready for… that, yet. I’m not trying to lead you on or mess you around-” Villanelle cut her off with a kiss. 

“I can wait. Trust me, you’re worth it.” Villanelle kissed her again and Eve went with it. They picked up where they left off in the cinema.

Villanelle reached over and pulled Eve onto her lap. She was stronger than she looked, and Eve was more than a little turned on by the show of strength. She looped her arms around Villanelle’s neck, sighing into her mouth as she rocked her hips. 

Villanelle responded with a low growl from the back of her throat. Her hands slipped under Eve’s blouse and cupped both of her breasts. She kneaded and squeezed them, drawing out a sharp gasp of pleasure from Eve. 

Things might have gone further had the man standing at the top of the stairs not cleared his throat to get their attention. “Jesus!” Eve jumped out of Villanelle’s lap, scrambling to put her blouse right, while the younger woman looked more annoyed than alarmed. 

“Konstantin, what are you doing here? Don’t you knock?” 

“I knocked. You didn’t answer. I called your office, they said you had taken the afternoon off. I was concerned.” Konstantin looked older than Eve, maybe even as old as fifty-five. He had salt and pepper hair and a matching neatly trimmed beard. His accent was eastern European. 

“Aww, uncle, you care! Thank you, but you have shitty timing.” Villanelle twisted her face at him. Her uncle didn’t seem phased, like he was used to walking in to her apartment and finding Villanelle making out with women twice her age. 

“I should go.” Eve grabbed her purse from beside her and slipped her feet back into her low heels. “I’ll call you.” She insisted as Villanelle tried to grab her hand on the way past. She gave Konstantin a polite ‘nice to meet you’ when she reached past him to fetch her coat. Konstantin smiled back at her. 

He waited until the front door closed behind Eve before he said, “She seemed nice. Who is she?” Konstantin had raised Villanelle from the age of twelve. Her mother had died when she was seven and her father had followed five years later.

Konstantin and his wife weren’t related to Villanelle by blood, but as her father’s best friend he had felt obligated to take the orphan in and raise her; even after his wife had given him his own daughter and died in the process. Her ‘uncle’ tried his best to keep her safe, but Villanelle didn’t always make it easy. 

“That was Eve. She is my new friend.” Said Villanelle. She answered defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Huh and is your new friend the reason you are not at work? She looks like-”

“Don’t start.” She glared at her uncle and took a swig of her vodka tonic. “I like her. This has nothing to do with Anna.” 

“She was wearing a wedding ring.” As a former spy-master for the KGB, Konstantin had an eye for detail and missed very little. 

“The husband is her problem, not mine.”

“Like Anna’s husband was?” Konstantin fired back. “That mess back home cost me a lot of favours to get you out of.” The ‘mess’ he referred to involved Villanelle having an affair with her teacher, Anna, and castrating Anna’s husband when she rejected her. He had lived, but just barely.

Konstantin had called in every favour he had to get Villanelle out of the country before she could be arrested. He and his daughter had followed soon after, once he had secured a place at the Russian embassy in Paris. 

“We can’t have a repeat of what happened here. England is not like the motherland, you will go to prison!” 

“I’m not interested in her husband!” Villanelle scoffed. She spread out on the couch like a cat lying in the sun. “I just want to sleep with her, that’s all. No feelings. I promise.” 

“Hmm. Be careful, Villanelle. I worry for you.” Konstantin stared her down. He knew her well enough to know when she was lying, with Villanelle that meant almost every time she opened her mouth. “Irina wants you to come for dinner Friday night. I told her I would ask you. So can you come, or are you busy with this Eve woman?”

“I’ll be there.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Villanelle!” Her young cousin pounced on her the second Villanelle walked through the front door of her uncle’s house. Villanelle held the teenager in a crushing hug, lifting her off the ground as she carried her into the living room with ease. 

“You’re late.” Konstantin greeted her with his usual gruffness. He held a tumbler of scotch in his hand. Villanelle dumped Irina on the nearest sofa and swiped the glass from his hand. 

“I’m never late. You’re just early.” Villanelle shot him a smirk as she finished her drink. It was the good stuff, the ten-year-old single malt Villanelle often swiped from his liquor cabinet as a teenager. 

“Dinner is ready. Irina, go wash up.” Konstantin waited until the younger girl left the room before rounding on Villanelle. “I looked into this woman. Eve Polastri. She is British intelligence. You should be careful.”

“I’m always careful.” Villanelle gave a flippant shrug of her shoulders, ignoring the worry etched into Konstantin’s grizzled features. “She isn’t interested in me because of you, uncle.” 

“How do you know that?” Villanelle rolled her eyes at him. She loved her uncle, but the man was former KGB and still held the same paranoia that carried him through the Cold War. 

“You’re not foreign intelligence anymore, Konstantin.” 

“And whose fault is that?” He gave her a pointed look. Konstantin Vasiliev was not her relation by blood, but the man had given up almost everything to keep her safe. 

Her ‘uncle’ had been her father’s best friend, and best man at his wedding. He’d held Villanelle at her christening; just as he’d held her at her mother’s funeral, and again at her father’s.

Villanelle was barely Irina’s age when she’d become an orphan. Konstantin took her in, raised her as his own, and did the best he could for her. Villanelle had repaid him by castrating the husband of her lover, forcing Konstantin to pull every string and cash in every favour he could to get his niece out of the country. 

“I never asked for your help.” Villanelle twisted her face at him. Konstantin rubbed at his own with a calloused hand and let out a weary sigh. 

“You didn’t have to.”

* * *

  
Friday evenings in the pub after work were a tradition for Eve and her team. A couple of drinks at the pub and then at the Bridge club by nine to meet Niko for one last drink was Eve’s usual modus operandi, leaving the younger members of her team to play out by themselves.

The Friday after Niko’s admission saw Eve doing things differently. Two drinks turned into four and when nine o’clock rolled by she found herself in a club with lights that were too low and music that was too loud. Niko had already called twice. She’d let it go to voice-mail both times. 

The club was hot and stuffy, and Eve felt like the oldest person in there by at least a decade. She sipped at her vodka & tonic and decided it would be her last for the night. Eve felt buzzed, but not drunk like the sea of bodies swimming around her table. 

“Polastri!” Hugo appeared at her side, red faced and covered in a light sheen of sweat from dancing with Kenny and Elena. “Come dance!” He tugged on her sleeve, pulling her to her feet before she could object. 

The dance floor was packed and Eve couldn’t move without someone elbowing her in the ribs or standing on her foot. Hugo pulled her in closer, wrapping his arms around her waist like they were about to do the waltz. She laughed at him as she draped her own arms around his neck. 

“So how’s it going with your new fancy woman?” He had to shout in her ear to be heard over the noise of the music. “Have you fucked her yet?” He pulled back to gauge her reaction with a smirk.

“That’s none of your business!” Eve shouted back, feigning indignation. In truth, the question sent a spark of excitement rippling through her. She hadn’t seen Villanelle since Monday, though they’d been in touch through text messages and the occasional phone call. 

Eve was eager to see her again. 

“You know I’m hurt, I wasn’t your first choice.” Hugo leaned in close again, his lips pressing against Eve’s ear. “You get a free pass to play away and you don’t come to me?” 

Eve snorted at his cocksure attitude. He was so young and full of himself. The attention he gave her flattered Eve, the flirting, the light touches, it all made her feel wanted; something Niko hadn’t managed in a long time. 

The younger man had tempted Eve, she couldn’t lie about that, but he was a colleague and that was a line she had never thought to cross. Pressed against her, Hugo grinned like a Cheshire cat as his hands slide over her skirt, slipping down her backside. “It’s not too late…”

“Easy, cowboy!” Eve caught his hands and pushed them away. Not too long ago, given Niko’s indiscretion, Eve would have taken Hugo up on his offer; but that was before Villanelle. Hugo’s advances made her feel young and sexy again, but Villanelle made her feel alive. 

“I’m going to get another drink.” Eve left him on the dance floor to go to the bar. Within moments he had moved on to a young blond woman in a skintight dress. 

Eve felt a vibration in her pocket and pulled out her phone, expecting to see Niko’s name on her screen. She felt a pleasant thrill as she saw the single letter ‘V’ instead. Changing course, she made her way for the exit instead of the bar. 

“Hello?” Eve was breathless as she answered the phone after fighting her way through the crowded club. She moved away from the bald-headed bouncer standing by the door and into a nearby alley. “Villanelle?” 

“What are you doing right now?” Came Villanelle’s husky reply. Her accent did things to Eve that she couldn’t quite put into words. 

“Standing outside a nightclub wondering if I’m having a mid-life crisis.” Eve answered honestly. She pushed her hair back from her face with her free hand as she came to a stop, her back resting against the brick wall of the building neighbouring the club. 

“Sounds fun.” 

“Not really.” Chuckled Eve. “What about you? How’s your Friday night going?” Eve heard the soft rustling of sheets as Villanelle rolled over onto her back in bed. 

“I had dinner with my uncle and my cousin, Irina. It was nice. Now I’m home alone and very bored.”

“Sounds terrible.” 

“Hmm, it is. You should come over. I don’t think I would be bored if you were here.”

“Is that right?” Eve’s stomach was in knots and her cheeks flushed. It had nothing to do with the heat of the club. Villanelle’s invitation was clear as day. 

“Hey, have you had any luck with the porn yet?” The abrupt change of course in the conversation had Eve struggling to keep up. 

“I’m sorry, what porn?” 

“The lesbian porn. You said it didn’t turn you on.” Villanelle spoke slowly and plainly, as if she were addressing a child. 

“Uh, yeah. I… No. It’s still not doing anything for me.” Eve let out a nervous laugh. 

“I have something that might help. Watch it and call me back.”

“What? Villanelle-” The line went dead before Eve could ask her what she was talking about. She was still staring at her phone in disbelief when a message came through with a video attachment. Eve pressed play without thinking.

“Hi, Baby.” Villanelle’s sultry voice came from the speaker of Eve’s phone as the woman in question appeared on screen. Eve’s jaw almost dropped to the floor as she took in the sight of the younger woman slipping off a silk kimono, revealing racy red lingerie the colour of blood.

Eve carried on staring in blind fascination as Villanelle settled on her plush round bed. Before she knew what was happening, Villanelle’s hand slipped into her underwear. “Jesus fuck!” Eve hissed into the cold night air and muted the video before glancing around wildly. 

There was nobody else in sight, but Eve slipped further down the alley, anyway. She put the sound back on low and watched as Villanelle got herself off on camera - crying out Eve’s name as she orgasmed. 

The second the video stopped, Eve called the other woman back. “I’m coming over.” There was a pause before Villanelle answered that seemed to last a lifetime while Eve held her breath. 

“If you come here, we are going to have sex.” 

“You’re damn right we are.” 

The taxi to Villanelle’s apartment took fifteen minutes, which for Eve was fifteen minutes too long. She was so excited her heart felt like it might burst out of her chest, yet she was filled with a nervous sort of energy. Her hand was shaking as she gave the taxi driver a twenty pound note and told him to keep the change. 

She smoothed her skirt over and pulled out her hair-tie. Fluffing her hair up with one hand, she rang the bell with the other one. Villanelle took her time in answering. Eve was almost ready to bolt by the time the door swung open. 

Villanelle was dressed in the same silk kimono she’d been wearing in the video. It ended just below her thighs, revealing long, lean legs. Her hair was damp and tied back in a messy bun, as if she’d not long stepped out of the shower.

Leaning against the door frame, she wore a confident smirk as she watched Eve’s eyes hungrily rake over her body. “Do you like what you-” Villanelle didn’t have time to finish her question as Eve surged forward, crushing her mouth against the younger woman’s with a fierce desperation. 

Villanelle kissed back with just as much enthusiasm, pushing her against the open door. Her hands seemed to be everywhere at once, cupping the back of Eve’s neck, tangled in her hair, running up the inside of her thighs. Eve felt giddy and lightheaded. She couldn’t count how many times she had thought about doing this since that first night they met.

Eve’s blouse was the first thing to go. Villanelle sent at least two of the buttons pinging down the stairs as she impatiently ripped at the fabric. The ruined blouse fell to the floor at Eve’s feet. She stepped over it, letting Villanelle tug her up the stairs. 

“You have really nice tits.” Villanelle commented, kneading them roughly with her palms. She made no mention of the fact that Eve wasn’t wearing a bra. The older woman had slipped it off in the back of the taxi on the way over before unceremoniously shoving it in her handbag. 

“Thanks.” Was all Eve could think to say. It was as if her brain had melted the second Villanelle kissed her. 

“No, thank you.” Villanelle flashed her a cheeky smile before dipping her head and taking one of Eve’s nipples in her mouth. An expert tongue swirled over the hard nub, eliciting a sharp moan from Eve as her body arched forward. 

“Fuck…” 

“That’s the idea, Eve.” Villanelle chuckled lightly, switching her attention to Eve’s other breast while sinking to her knees; brining Eve’s slacks and underwear down with her in one fluid motion. 

Eve, awkward and clumsy, could never hope to move so gracefully. She stumbled back, the tops of her thighs hitting against the cold metal railing running along the length of the stairs. 

A thousand pointless things ran through Eve’s mind as the younger woman kissed a trail down her stomach, ending at her hips. 

She hadn’t shaved her legs in a couple of days. There were patches of cellulite on her bum she hated with a passion. Would Villanelle notice them? Did Villanelle have any little imperfections she disliked about herself? 

Noticing Eve’s nervous expression, Villanelle stopped what she was doing and looked up at her. “Eve, are you still with me?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah.” Eve blinked rapidly, trying to centre herself back in the here and now. A tidal wave of anxiety had washed over her the moment Villanelle’s mouth had dipped lower. 

“Eve, you’re shaking.” Villanelle was right. Eve was shaking from head to toe. She swallowed hard, wondering whether it was too late to turn around and bolt. 

All of this was meant to be about fixing her marriage, but part of Eve knew that sleeping with the attractive blond kneeling at her feet would do the total opposite. How was she supposed to go back to Niko after this?   
Niko, who wouldn’t think about having sex anywhere other than their bedroom. Niko, who would never in a million years strip Eve down to eat her out in the middle of their living room. 

“It’s okay.” Villanelle stood up and wrapped her arms around her, enveloping her in a tight hug and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Would you be more comfortable in the bed?” 

Eve nodded her head stiffly, unable to form the words she wanted to say. 

‘This is a mistake. If I do this my marriage is over. If I don’t, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.’ 

The younger woman lead Eve over to the circular bed that dominated the minimally decorated living room. She pulled back the covers so Eve could climb in, then shed the rest of her clothes before slipping in beside her. 

Eve caught sight of enough of her bare skin to get the answer to one of questions: there was nothing imperfect about the young woman’s body.

She had a sun-kissed glow all over and no tan lines. Her body was lean, without an ounce of fat on it, and she had more muscle definition than Eve expected. 

Eve was dying to run her tongue along the groves of her abs, which was surprising since she’d never been into muscular men. 

Apparently her taste in women ran different to her taste in men and her husband in particular - who could only be affectionately described as having a ‘dad bod’. 

Once she was under the covers with her Villanelle started kissing Eve again. For all they were both naked she kept things very PG rated, simply kissing Eve and running her fingers over the small of her back to soothe her. 

“We don’t have to do this tonight.” Villanelle spoke softly, reassuring her despite her earlier warning not to show up unless she was ready. 

“Oh but we do.” Eve let out a nervous laugh. “I feel like I’m going to explode if you don’t touch me.” 

“But I already am touching you.” Villanelle’s confidence returned, along with a smug smile, as she switched from rubbing Eve’s back to raking her nails against the flesh beneath her fingertips. 

Eve let out a soft hiss and closed her eyes for a moment. Her body ached for the other woman in ways it had never yearned for her husband’s touch. 

“Not there.” She growled out and reached for Villanelle’s free hand. Feeling bold, she guided her hand down between her legs. “There.” 

“Oh.” Villanelle was still smirking as she played dumb. “Hm, I have a better idea.” 

Eve was about to ask what she meant, but she had her answer when Villanelle pulled her hand back and disappeared under the sheets. 

“Oh fuck!” Moments later Eve was too out of it to care about the stubble on her legs or the cellulite on her bum. Her only concern was just how long she could hold up to the wondrous things Villanelle’s mouth was doing to her without passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, thanks for reading! I had the first 5 chapters written and edited before I started posting - hence the quick updates - but new chapters will probably be weekly on Monday's from now on.


	6. Chapter 6

  
Eve woke to the sound of her phone blaring the next morning. There was only one person who would call at such an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning. She groped for her phone on the bedside table, but her hand flailed in mid-air. There was no phone and no table. Groggily, she sat up and looked around. 

“Oh, god…” She moaned quietly as the industrial warehouse - come high-end apartment - came in to focus. Eve scrambled out of the circular bed, leaving a peaceful Villanelle sound a sleep, in search of her phone. She found it in her purse, which she’d discarded near the bottom of the metal stairs. 

Eve’s bare feet slapped noisily off each step as she fetched it. “Carolyn, it’s a Saturday, for Christ’s sake!” She greeted her boss with a grunt. 

“Good morning, Eve.” Said Carolyn, as if her employee hadn’t just politely told her to fuck off. “Something has come up, I’m afraid. I need the entire team in. Bill’s on his way. Should I ask him to fetch you?” 

“No! No, I’m… I’m not at home. I can be at the office in two hours-”

“I’ll see you in an hour.” The line went dead as Carolyn hung up. 

“Unbelievable…” Eve muttered to herself and began looking for her clothes. It turned into a scavenger hunt, leading from the bottom of the stairs all the way to Villanelle’s bed. The other woman lay propped up on one elbow by the time Eve reached the top of the stairs. 

“Good morning.” Villanelle said in a husky voice that made Eve’s toes curl. She was naked, save for the silk sheet she had wrapped around her. “Why are you up?” 

“I didn’t mean to stay!” Eve answered bluntly. She pulled her blouse on and cursed as she found three of the buttons missing at the bottom. She tucked the blouse in to her trousers and figured she would just about get away with it. “I’ve got to get to work.”  
  
“On a Saturday? Eve, your job really sucks.” Villanelle didn’t seem phased by her guest’s rudeness. She stretched out, letting the sheet fall away. “You should play hooky.” Her grin turned devilish as she shot her a wink. Eve almost said yes. 

But she hadn’t gone home last night, and she wasn’t about to make things worse by pulling a sickie from work. “I can’t. I’ll call you, though… Uh, thank you… for last night.” 

“My pleasure, Eve. See you soon.” 

“Uh, yeah. See ya.” 

All the way to the office, Eve felt like she was being stared at by every passerby; as if the fact that she was doing the walk of shame were tattooed to her forehead. It didn’t get any better when she arrived at work. Throwing her purse down on her desk, Eve followed suit and fell in to her chair. 

She yanked open her desk drawer and pulled out a packet of paracetamol. She swallowed two dry, wincing at the bitter chalky taste as they went down. 

“Morning, Sunshine!” Elena was on her, like a shark smelling blood in the water. She rolled up beside Eve on her chair, propping her feet up on Eve’s desk. “Where did you disappear to last night? And don’t say home. You’re wearing the same clothes you were yesterday and Niko called me after midnight asking if I was with you.” 

“Oh god!” Eve groaned into her hands. “What did you tell him?” 

“That you were passed out drunk on my sofa, obviously.” Elena rolled her eyes, as if there was an ounce of doubt she wouldn’t have lied for her friend. “I’m just glad you were off getting your rocks off and not, you know, murdered.” 

Eve snorted into her hands. Elena had no idea. “I had many, many, little deaths last night.” 

“Eve Polastri, you sly dog!” Elena rolled up a bunch of papers lying on Eve’s desk and slapped her shoulder with them. “So La Villanelle was good then, was she?” Eve felt like a dam about to burst. Last night had been amazing and she dying to talk about it. There was no sign of the boys yet, so she let it all out. 

She told Elena about the video and how nervous she had been at first, how out of her depth she had felt; and how patient Villanelle had been with her. Eve had done very little last night, but Villanelle had been more than happy to spend the night giving, expecting nothing back. 

“God she was so fucking amazing and I… I was a dick to her this morning. I freaked out about staying over and then Carolyn calling and… god, she probably fucking hates me right now.” Said Eve. 

“Don’t worry about it!” Elena shrugged flippantly. “She knew what it was. You got what you wanted, now you and Niko can work on repairing your marriage and Villanelle can just be a happy memory.” 

“Yeah. You’re right.” Eve gave a distracted nod as she checked her phone. Niko was calling. She sent it to voicemail. There was a text waiting from Villanelle. Eve opened it. 

**‘Last night was fun. Let’s do it again sometime.V. x.'**

The emergency at work took most of the day. It was late evening by the time Eve got home. She had text Niko to let him know she was working, but that was it. One message around lunch time just to stop him calling and worrying. 

Eve was physically and mentally drained by the time she stepped through the front door. She didn’t have the strength for what was to come next. Facing Niko.

Kicking off her shoes, she hung up her coat and purse and headed straight upstairs. She heard the creek of the bottom step as she was changing out of her clothes. Niko was waiting for her when she came out of the bathroom.

He sat slumped on their bed, hands clasped together resting on his lap and a far-away look on his face. He was unusually quiet as she pulled out her ponytail and started brushing her hair in front of the mirror; his reflection watching her the whole time. 

“Did you really stay at Elena’s?” He finally asked, after what seemed like an age. Eve decided to be honest. Elena was right. They needed to work on repairing their marriage. Telling him about last night was the first step. 

“No. I slept with Villanelle. So that’s it. We’re even now.” Eve hadn’t been the one to cause this situation, yet she still felt a flood of guilt at the way Niko’s expression fell in response to her admission. 

He rubbed at his moustache with one hand and nodded slowly, not saying a word. Eve was ready to scream at him to say something, anything, as the seconds passed. 

“Do you feel better?” 

Eve’s insides twisted and churned at the question. It would have been better if he’d said nothing after-all. Did she feel better? She was meant to. The entire point of the one-night stand was to make them even, to make Eve feel better, yet somehow she felt worse. Maybe it would have been different if it was one night, if she’d never gotten to know Villanelle. 

“I’m tired. I’m going to go to bed.” She didn’t answer, didn’t tell him she was torn up with guilt - but not for the reasons he might think. It was a small mercy when he got up and left the room, leaving Eve to her demons. 

She closed the bedroom door behind him with a soft click and then turned out the light. In the dark, she rifled through the drawer of her bedside table and came out with a pair of earphones. She plugged them in to her phone and settled under the bed covers. 

Pressing the ear-buds in place, she brought up the video Villanelle had sent her last night. Before she could press play the screen changed to show an incoming calling. It was Villanelle. Eve left it unanswered, just like the other calls and texts she’d received from the younger woman earlier in the day. 

‘This is Eve, leave a message and I’ll get back to you.’ Villanelle groaned as she heard Eve’s voicemail message for the umpteenth time in days. It was Tuesday afternoon and Villanelle hadn’t heard a thing from Eve since she fled her apartment Saturday morning. 

Villanelle had spent the morning in her office, but thoughts of Eve had her too distracted to do any actual work, so she’d left for lunch and not went back.

She lay on her back on the circular bed that dominated her open-plan apartment, oblivious to the way she was crinkling her Ermenegildo Zegna suit jacket. 

Villanelle tried calling Eve once more, but the phone rang and rang before going back to voicemail. ‘This is-’ Villanelle hung up with an exaggerated sigh.

Eve had gotten her revenge on her dumb fuck of a husband - who had been stupid enough to cheat on her in the first place - and stopped taking Villanelle’s calls or replying to her texts. It was ludicrous.

How could Eve possibly ignore her after such mind blowing sex? It was painfully clear Eve had never come so hard, or so much, in her life before she’d encountered Villanelle. So why was she ignoring her in favour of her useless husband? 

Curiosity got the better of her as she picked her phone back up and did a Google search on Niko Polastri. Within ten minutes she found an article on the bridge club Niko hosted and his LinkedIn profile, which listed the current school he worked at; alongside the woman he’d cheated on Eve with. 

Villanelle smiled to herself. She had an idea how she was going to get Eve’s attention. 

The website for the high school Niko taught at had a section about the teachers. There were profiles with pictures, and it didn’t take long for Villanelle to find Niko Polastri. 

He looked like what Villanelle imagined an average maths teacher to look like, except for the huge moustache stuck to his upper lip. It looked like a rat had crawled onto his face and died. 

As an afterthought, Villanelle looked up the woman Niko had cheated with. Gemma was a plain looking woman. Though not unattractive, Villanelle couldn’t see why Niko would ever go with such a woman when he already had Eve. It was like choosing to drive a Prius when he had a Ferrari waiting at home. 

St Theobald School was in Tufnell Park, in the North of London, a fifteen minute drive from Villanelle’s apartment. She made it there in under ten. The school was just getting out as Villanelle arrived. 

She slipped in unseen amongst the throng of parents and students milling around. The building was like a maze, but after a few minutes of aimless walking she found a door marked with ‘Mr Polastri. Head of Maths.’ 

She knocked once before walking in like expected. The man sitting behind the desk at the front of the room looked like a cavalier soldier who had been picked up from the English civil war and dumped in a high school classroom - then dressed in cheap jeans and a rumpled chequered shirt rolled up at the sleeves. 

As tacky as his clothes were, it was the monstrosity stuck to his face that held Villanelle’s attention. She stood staring until Niko Polastri cleared his throat. 

“I’m sorry, can I help you?” He wore the patient smile of a man used to dealing with idle teenagers. Villanelle couldn’t imagine him being so patient with her if he knew exactly what she’d been doing to his wife a few days ago. “Are you a parent? Is there something I can do for you?” Niko pressed when he got no response. 

Villanelle stuffed her hands into her pockets, shrugged her shoulders and said, “You could leave your wife.” Niko’s pleasant expression morphed into one of confusion, and then anger. 

“Excuse me? Just who the hell are you?” He got to his feet, glaring at the young woman in the expensive suit standing at his door. 

Niko didn’t have the first clue who she might be, or how she might know Eve. Villanelle scoffed at the question as she took a few casual steps forward, getting right in Niko’s face. 

“Didn’t Eve tell you about me?” Her lips twisted up into a grin. She was taking pleasure in how uncomfortable she was making Eve’s husband. 

He narrowed his eyes, trying to put the pieces together, but it was painfully obvious he would not stumble upon the truth on his own. “Villanelle. I’m the one who fucked your wife.” 

A spectrum of emotions played out across Niko’s moustached face; from anger to abject horror and then to denial before settling back on anger. “You’re… you’re a woman!” He spluttered. 

“Hmm. Yes. Last time I checked.” Villanelle was enjoying herself. “Did Eve not mention that?” 

“No.” He chewed the word out through clenched teeth. Niko was a middle-aged man who had just learned his supposedly straight wife had slept with a woman - and not just any woman.

Villanelle was young and attractive, and the Rolex watch on her wrist cost more than Niko made in a month. “No she didn’t. I’d like you to leave, please.” His voice cracked on the last word. Leave it to the British to be so polite. 

“Sure.” Villanelle agreed and turned on her heels. She stopped with her hand on the door and glanced over her shoulder, wearing a devilish smile. “Oh, one last thing, has she let you touch her since you fucked that other teacher?”

“Get out! 

Villanelle took that as his answer.

It was late when Eve finally trudged through her front door. She and the rest of the team had stayed behind to finish their risk analysis around an upcoming visit to the capital by a Polish dignitary. 

Elena had tried to persuade her to go to the pub afterward, but Eve and Niko were trying to salvage their failing marriage and Eve didn’t think arriving home after last orders would help with that. 

She shrugged off her coat and hung it up on the rack by the door. She’d barely slipped off her shoes when Niko emerged in the hallway. He looked like he was chewing a lemon as Eve greeted him. “You’re late. Where have you been? Off with your fancy woman?” He asked with a sneer. 

Eve was taken aback. She felt a cold wave of dread wash over her. “What are you talking about?” 

“Villanelle!” Niko spat the name out like it left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. “She turned up at my school today, rubbing it in my face she slept with my wife!” 

“Niko, I-” 

“What the hell were you thinking, Eve? I know you were angry, but were you trying your best to hurt me?” 

“I didn’t tell her where you worked, and I sure as shit didn’t ask her to go see you!” 

“Well she did, Eve! And, Jesus Christ, she looked young enough to be one of my sixth-form students!” Any guilt Eve had felt up to then vanished in an instant. Niko was the one who had been unfaithful. 

He was the reason she had gone out looking for someone else to sleep with. It wasn’t Eve’s fault his ego was bruised because she’d fucked a wildly attractive, and much younger, woman.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Are you morally superior because the woman you broke your marriage vows with is in her thirties?” Eve snapped. 

“I can’t…” Niko buried his face in his hands as he slumped onto the bottom step of the stairs. “I can’t keep doing this, Eve! I just want it all to be over… I just want things to go back to how they were between us.” 

“Me too.” Eve knelt down in front of him and took hold of his hands. “I don’t know why she showed up today, but I haven’t been in contact with Villanelle since Saturday. It was a onetime thing, and it’s over.” 

“Good.” Sighed Niko. “Good…” He leaned forward, intending to kiss her, but Eve pulled away. 

“It’s late and I’m tired. I’m going to take a shower and go to bed.” 

“Right.” Villanelle’s last comment to him was spinning around Niko’s head as Eve disappeared upstairs. 

Eve walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower before slipping into her bedroom and pulling out her phone. She closed the door over behind her and called Villanelle. The other woman answered on the second ring. “Eve, I thought you’d forgotten all about me.” 

“Why the fuck did you go see my husband? How did you even know where he works?” Eve was straight on the offensive. She wasn’t about to give the other woman a chance to charm her way out of this. Villanelle didn’t seem phased by Eve’s abrupt manner. 

“I wanted to see what he was like… I was not impressed.” 

“How did you find him?” 

“Please, Eve, there are not that many maths teachers in London named Niko Polastri.” Villanelle answered with a dismissive laugh. 

“Yeah? Well stay the fuck away from him, you psycho!” 

“That’s not very nice, Eve…” Said Villanelle, her voice strained. There was an icy edge to it that Eve had never heard before, but it vanished as she playfully added, “I’ve been nothing but nice to you.” Eve couldn’t deny that. As much as Villanelle had been a dick to her husband, she had definitely been nice to Eve. 

The older woman pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. This has all just gotten out of hand. It was only meant to be one night with a stranger-” 

“But it wasn’t one night, was it? And I’m not a stranger.” 

“No.” Eve squeezed her eyes shut as she made the admission. “No, you’re not.”

“I want to see you. Right now.” 

“I can’t. Niko will be suspicious… I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? We can talk then.” Eve hung up without waiting for the other woman to agree. 

Villanelle was still glaring at her phone like it had offended her when Konstantin crept up behind her. “What’s wrong? You’ve been distant all night. You’ve hardly even argued with Irina.” 

“Nothing is wrong.” Villanelle pocketed her phone. “Don’t worry about me.” 

“I worry!” Konstantin huffed. “I worry a lot! Is this about the married woman?” 

Villanelle rolled her eyes at him. “Everything is fine, Uncle. I am in complete control. You shouldn’t worry so much, it is not good for you at your age!” She patted his stomach affectionately as she tried to slip past him and back into the dining room. She had come over for dinner, but her mind had been on Eve most of the night. 

Konstantin wasn’t done with her, though. He grabbed hold of her wrist and yanked her back. “I worry for good reason! The authorities here are not so easily bought as they are at home. I gave up everything for you once, Oksana! I can not do it again. I have Irina to think about now.” 

Villanelle twisted her arm free of her uncle’s grip. “Then it is a good job there is nothing to worry about!” She gave him a fake smile and disappeared into the dining room to terrorise her younger cousin. 

Konstantin watched her go with a scowl. He made his way upstairs and into his study. Closing the door behind him, he pulled out his phone and looked up a contact from his days in Russian Intelligence. 

“Hello, my old friend, I need to ask a favour.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies it's been a few weeks since the last update! My crapal tunnel has been playing up from too much writing, so I've only been able to edit and post stuff I already had completed. As ever, thanks for reading and for the comments and kudos!

  
“And she showed up at his school! Isn’t that nuts?” Eve finished her animated explanation of Villanelle stalking her husband with an expectant look at her friend and colleague, Dr Martin Akhtar. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

“Eve, you know I don’t like to use that turn of phrase.” He scolded, though it was hard to take him seriously when he had biscuit crumbs in his beard. 

Martin worked as a psychologist and liaised with MI-6 on a semi-regular basis. Eve had known him professionally for years and felt comfortable talking to him about her problems. 

She rolled her eyes at his chastising. “Sorry, Doc. Isn’t that psychopathic?” 

Martin rubbed at his chin, dislodging the crumbs. “Well, not having met the young lady, I can’t make any kind of clinical diagnosis, but yes. That seems strange.” 

“Strange?” Elena piped up as she joined them at their table with her coffee. “She sounds like a bunny boiler to me! Watch your chicken, Eve. She’ll have it in a pot before you know it!” 

“Elena…” Martin let out a heavy sigh. 

“No, Martin, she’s right.” Eve shook her head as the frustrated psychologist tried to admonish the other woman. “She’s a psycho! We hardly know each other and she somehow found out where my husband works!” 

“Maybe she’s a spy.” Said Elena. “You said she’s Russian!” 

“She’s not a spy!” Eve rolled her eyes. 

“How do you know? The best spies are the ones-” 

“Ladies.” Martin cleared his throat to get their attention back. He turned to Eve and asked, “I agree showing up at Niko’s place of work is odd behaviour, but you have to take her feelings into account too.” 

“Feelings?” Scoffed Eve. “What feelings? It was a one-night stand and I’m married! I was very clear about that.” 

“Were you? Maybe at the start, but this became more than a one-night stand when you had dinner with her, conversed with her on the phone, went on a date to the cinema-”

“It wasn’t a date!” Eve protested, but even as the words left her lips she knew was lying to herself. She had strung Villanelle along, given her the idea that there could be more between them. 

“Fuck, it was a date...” She slumped forward, cradling her head in her hands and wishing they’d agreed to meet in the pub for lunch instead of a coffee shop. 

“Do you have feelings for her?” Martin asked, probing gently like they were in a therapy session. 

“No… Yes… Fuck!” Eve groaned into her hands, attracting disapproving looks from a mother and baby group that sat a few tables away from them. “She’s charming and impulsive and gorgeous. She’s the opposite of Niko and the sex… god, the sex-”

“Okay.” Martin cleared his throat again. “I think we’ve established you have feelings for her. So the question you have to ask yourself now is, what do you intend to do about it? Will you see her again?” 

“No way!” Said Elena. “You said it yourself, Eve, she’s psycho!” 

Eve bit her bottom lip, her gaze dropping to the table. “That’s what makes her exciting. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since we met! There’s just something about her, I can’t put it into words.”

“Eve, you need to be careful. If this woman is as volatile as you’re describing then you need to make up your mind about her, don’t leave her dangling. Cut her off if that’s what you intend to do.” 

Martin’s warning played over and over at the back of her mind the whole walk back to the office. She excused herself to the bathroom and pulled out her phone. There was another unanswered text from Villanelle waiting for her. Eve typed a quick reply before she could lose her nerve. 

_‘Eve: Still got your shirt. Will drop it off after work. 7ish okay?’_   
  
_‘V: Perfect x.’_

* * *

  
Eve stood outside Villanelle’s front door wondering what the hell she was doing there. Martin was right, the only way to deal with someone like Villanelle was to cut off contact all together. 

She should have just mailed the shirt and forgotten all about the other woman; but that was easier said than done. Villanelle had buried her way under Eve’s skin. An unendurable itch that she simply couldn’t ignore.   
  
Eve took a breath before she rang the doorbell. Villanelle took her sweet time in answering. Eve had almost talked herself out of it by the time the younger woman opened the door. 

“Eve. Lovely to see you again.” She stood at the door dressed in a silk robe that barely covered her thighs and gaped open at the front, showing Eve just enough cleavage to let her know Villanelle was naked underneath it. 

Eve stood there dumbstruck, Villanelle’s shirt clenched in her hand, at a loss for what she was doing there.

“Come on in.” Villanelle turned and started up the stairs, not giving Eve the chance to object. Not that she did. Eve followed her upstairs, closing the front door behind her. 

Villanelle was leaning back on her bed when Eve appeared at the top of the stairs, a smirk playing on her lips as she watched the older woman shuffle nervously from one foot to the other as she held her shirt out for her. “Your shirt. I had it dry cleaned.” 

“We both know that’s not why you came, Eve.” Villanelle’s eyes raked over her and her intentions couldn’t be clearer as she undressed Eve with her eyes. 

“It’s over.” Eve stood her ground, hoping she sounded more confident than she actually felt. “It was meant to be a one-time thing. Niko-”

“Niko couldn’t make you cum like I did even if he had an instruction manual!” Villanelle snarled. She sat up on the circular bed, her legs dangling over the end. “You want this, Eve. We both do. So why pretend? Why deny yourself?” 

“I’m married. I made a commitment-” 

“So did Niko, and he still cheated on you. Have you seen that Gemma girl, Eve? She is so plain. Why go for hamburger when you have prime steak at home, hmm?” 

“Your shirt.” Eve growled out through clenched teeth, doing her best to ignore Villanelle’s mind games. She took a step closer without meaning to, and Villanelle’s eyes lit up. 

“Fine.” She huffed with a sigh of defeat. “Hand it to me.” She held her hand out expectantly without budging from the bed. Eve wasn’t stupid. She analysed the risk of people and situations for a living. Yet she still stepped forward — just as Villanelle wanted her to. 

She held the shirt out in front of her, eyes fixed on Villanelle as she came within reach of the bed. The shirt dropped to the floor as Villanelle’s hand clamped around her wrist and the younger woman tugged her forward. 

Eve had no chance of stopping her fall as she stumbled into Villanelle’s lap, hands landing on either side of her. Villanelle gave her no time to recover as she flipped them, pinning Eve to the bed beneath her with her hands above her head. Eve felt a flash of fear course through her veins, which quickly morphed into arousal and settled between her legs. 

Her heart was pounding in her chest and her mouth felt dry as Villanelle hovered over her like a predator sizing up its meal. “Villanelle-” The other woman’s name came out as a gasp. 

“Tell me this isn’t what you want.” Said Villanelle, her piercing stare looking into Eve’s very soul. “Tell me you don’t want me and I’ll let you up. You can go and I will never bother you again.”   
  
Eve swallowed hard, a thousand things racing through her mind. She opened her mouth, but no words would come out. “Cat got your tongue, Eve?” Villanelle teased. She dipped her head, her mouth finding Eve’s and her own tongue slipping past the other woman’s lips. Eve moaned into the kiss, her body betraying her. 

Villanelle looked all too pleased with herself as she pulled back and Eve arched up into her with a desperate keen. Villanelle had her right where she wanted her. Her mouth curled up in a cruel smile as she let go of Eve’s wrists before she delivered the finishing blow. 

“Tell me, Eve, how many times have you watched the video I sent you? How many times have you gotten yourself off to-” Eve’s mouth smashed into Villanelle’s with enough force to send her crashing back against the bed.

Villanelle’s eyes widened for just a moment. She’d been baiting Eve for a reaction, and she’d gotten exactly what she wanted - along with a whole new side of Eve. 

There was nothing tender about the kisses they shared. It was a far cry from any of their previous encounters. Lips, teeth and tongues clashed as Villanelle flipped their positions, pinning Eve beneath her. 

Hands clawed at clothes, tugging and pushing as both women’s actions grew more frantic. Villanelle didn’t even bother to remove Eve’s skirt as she pushed her underwear aside and sunk two fingers inside of her. 

Eve let out a gasp at the intrusion. She was already wet, but Villanelle hadn’t been very gentle in her actions. The younger woman drew out another gasp as she curled her fingers and began pumping them in and out of Eve, her thumb circling her already sensitive clit. 

“Fuck…” Eve bit down, her teeth sinking into Villanelle’s bare shoulder as she came with a strangled cry. Villanelle bucked against her, slamming her fingers into Eve over and over as she saw her through her first orgasm and into her second. 

Eve’s nails dug in to Villanelle’s back, leaving half moon crescents in their wake as she held the other woman close. She panted, struggling to catch her breath. 

Villanelle let out a shaky laugh as she drew her fingers out of Eve and brought them to her lips. She ran her tongue over them while Eve watched - her pupils wide and blown. 

“Fuck, that… that was…” Eve threw her arm over her face. She couldn’t find the words to describe it. 

“That was just the start, Baby.” Villanelle grinned, finally taking the time to tug Eve’s skirt off, manicured nails raking over her thighs. “You’re mine.” 

  
  
It was dark when Eve stumbled through her front door. Her body ached in a way that had little to do with pain, and a button was missing from her shirt. She’d taken a taxi back from Soho, painfully aware of the stickiness between her legs as she sat with them crossed. 

Eve had tamed her hair somewhat with the brush she kept in her handbag. Instead of looking like she’d been dragged through a bush backwards, she just looked like she’d fallen in one instead. 

She slipped her heels off at the front door and hung her raincoat up on the hook at the door. The hallway was bathed in darkness, save for the light coming from the living room door, which was slightly ajar. 

She could hear the sounds of the television floating through from the other room. Eve lingered in the darkness for a moment longer, knowing it was exactly where she belonged.

Niko was sat in his favourite armchair in front of the TV when Eve finally summoned the courage to walk into the living room. He glanced up at her with heavy, tired eyes and a patient smile. “Hello, luv. Long day at the office?”

“Uh, yeah.” Said Eve. He didn’t seem mad at her, which made for a change of pace of late — and suggested he was confident things with Villanelle were over. Eve apologised, anyway. “Sorry. I should have called.”

Niko shook his head. Maybe he was as tired of arguing as Eve was. “No matter. Dinner is in the microwave. I wasn’t sure if you’d have eaten.” 

The last thing Eve ate didn’t appear in any of the food groups. She felt her cheeks burning with shame at what she’d done. “I haven’t. Thanks.” Eve leaned over as Niko turned his attention back to the television, surprising him with a kiss to the forehead as she placed a hand on his shoulder. 

He looked up, surprised by the simple gesture. It had been weeks since they’d touched. A smile spread over his lips as he mistook Eve’s guilt for a sign of affection.

Niko covered the hand on his shoulder with his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Do you want to go up?” He asked, sending a wave of panic crashing over Eve. 

“Finish your show, I’ll join you in a bit. I need a shower.” She left him there thinking their marriage was safe again and scurried upstairs. 

Eve stripped off in their bedroom, hiding her ruined shirt at the bottom of the laundry hamper. She paused under the stark lights of the bathroom, taking in the marks all over her body in the mirror above the sink. 

Finger shaped bruises marked her wrists and the inside of her thighs. There were bite marks on her breasts and scratches on her back from where Villanelle had staked her claim on her. 

Eve closed her eyes with a shudder, remembering how hard she’d come from Villanelle holding her down as she ate her out. The sex had been a far cry from the slow and intimate experience that had been Eve’s first time with the other woman. 

Eve found herself craving more of the latter. Villanelle had awoken something long dormant inside of her, and the creature stirring within was insatiable — Niko and the trusty missionary position just werne’t going to cut it anymore.

Even while filled with shame about it, Eve slipped a hand between her legs - under the hot spray of the shower above the bath - and imagined it belonging to the other woman while she pinched her nipples with her free hand.

She came with Villanelle’s name pouring from her mouth like a mantra, her breathing hot and ragged as she rode out the latest orgasm in a long evening of orgasms. 

After cleaning herself up and washing her hair, Eve stepped out of the bath and wrapped herself in a soft towel that rubbed against her still straining nipples. 

She towel dried her hair and changed into a pair of pyjamas with long sleeves to cover the marks on her wrists. Those would be difficult to explain to her husband; at least in a way that wouldn’t result in a divorce. 

Her phone lay on her bed, the screen lit up from a recent notification of a text from Villanelle. Eve opened it and was met with the sight of Villanelle’s muscular back — red raw from long scratch marks. Marks made by Eve’s fingernails. A message accompanied the image.

_‘V: That was fun, Baby. Can’t wait to do it again. xx.’_

Eve felt like shit as she dropped the phone back on the bed with a heavy sigh. She rubbed at her face with her hands, wondering how it was possible to feel so conflicted.

Niko was her husband. She loved him, despite their recent problems, and she wanted to save their marriage. That had been the whole point of having a one-night stand, to be even again; but things weren’t that simple anymore. 

They weren’t even. Eve had slept with Villanelle twice. More than that, if you were counting per orgasm. She was no better than Niko now. In fact, she was worse — and a small, wicked part of her didn’t care. 

A much larger part, the rational side of her brain, felt terrible for betraying him. She crawled under the duvet and curled up in bed, stifling a sob as she buried her face in her pillow.   
  
What was she going to do? There was no way for her to keep them both. Eve had to make a choice. It was Villanelle or her marriage.   
  
Some time later, when Eve’s tears had dried up, and she’d made up her mind, Niko joined her in bed. 

He slipped under the covers, apologising for his cold feet as Eve pressed up behind him. She wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed his shoulder. “Let’s have a date night.” She said, her voice coming out stronger than she felt. “Reconnect.” 

“That sounds good… I’d like that.” Niko craned his neck to press a kiss to her cheek. “I’ve missed you.”


	8. Chapter 8

Friday morning found Eve sitting at her desk receiving the third degree from Elena. “What the hell do you mean you had sex with her again?” The other woman asked loud enough to make Eve grimace. She glanced around the office to make sure it was still empty. She and Elena had met for coffee before work and were the first ones in their shared office. 

“Shout a little louder, I don’t think the next building over quite heard you.” Eve said with a scowl. She loved Elena, but the other woman could have a mouth like a foghorn at times. Her expression softened. “I couldn’t help it… I tried to keep away from her, but it didn’t work…” 

“And god, it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before!” Eve had a faraway look about her as she recounted the events of the other night. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “It was rough. I still have marks all over me. I haven’t been able to wear short sleeves in front of Niko all week!” The marks on Eve’s wrists and thighs were fading, but the memory of that night was still fresh in Eve’s mind. 

Elena rolled her eyes. “I’m all for getting your freak on, Eve, but the woman is a complete nutter! She’ll probably tie you up and keep her locked in her basement or something!” 

Eve did her best to hide the thrill of arousal that ran through her at the thought of Villanelle tying her up. That was a thought for another day. “She lives in a loft, Elena.”

“Yeah, because that’s the important takeaway from my point!” The younger woman shook her head. “You need to be careful. You barley know the first thing about this woman.” 

“I know, I know!” Eve held her head in her hands as she slumped at her desk. “She’s just so… different. Exciting. She… she makes me feel things, Elena. Things I have never felt with anyone, never-mind my husband!” 

Across the other side of the office, Bill lay perfectly still on the tattered old sofa behind her desk. He’d arrived at the arse-crack of dawn to finish a report off for Caroline. Unbeknown to his two colleagues, he’d been lying out of sight on the couch when they walked in. 

He’d been about to announce himself when Eve started spilling the details of her sordid sexual encounter. Bill had known something was off with his friend for a while. The aging spy had picked up bits and pieces over the last couple of weeks, but Eve had yet to confide in him. 

The two women fell silent as the door to the office opened and Hugo walked in, his hair sticking up at all angles, a takeaway Starbucks cup in his hand and a newspaper tucked under his arm. “Morning ladies.” He said, greeting them both with a sleepy smile.

He walked past their joined desks and over to his own — right across from Bill’s. “Alright you lazy old git?” He grinned at the older man, tossing the paper across to him. Eve watched in horror as he sat up on the sofa, rubbing at his face as if he’d just woken up. She couldn’t look him in the eye for the rest of the morning. 

Bill approached her desk as lunchtime rolled around. “Fancy the pub?” He asked. If Eve had any misconceptions of why he was asking her alone he clarified with, “Just the two of us. We can have a chat.”

“Okay.” Eve agreed. Elena flashed her a reassuring smile as she rounded the boys up for a lunch date in the cafe across the street, giving Eve and Bill the privacy they needed to talk. 

At the pub, Bill went to the bar to put their food orders in while Eve secured them a table. She was sitting wringing her hands when he came back carrying a pint for him and a large glass of white wine for her. “You look like you could use it.” He said with a grin, setting the glass down in front of her. “Anything you want to share?” 

“How much do you already know?” 

“The gist of it, I think.” Bill shrugged. “But we’ve got an hour. Why don’t you start at the beginning?” Their food arrived long before Eve finished. 

“It was only meant to be a onetime thing, but I can’t stop thinking about her.” Eve sighed, aggressively stabbing one of her fries into the tiny pot of mayonnaise on the side of her plate. 

Bill had been quiet for the most part, taking it all in, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have plenty to say. “You never met my first wife, did you? I’d left her for Keiko before we started working together. She was a lovely woman. We were childhood sweethearts, married straight out of school. Almost twenty years.”

Bill shifted so his chin was resting on the palm of his hand as he leaned on his elbow. “The boredom almost killed me.” He admitted with a sigh, catching Eve off guard. “When I met Keiko, she was fifteen years my junior. Everyone thought I was having a midlife crisis when I left Evelyn - my first wife - for her.” 

“But it was the best decision of my life. I thought I loved Evelyn, but I don’t think I knew what love was supposed to feel like until I met Keiko. Then she gave me our child and my life felt complete. I wouldn’t have any of that if I hadn’t taken the risk in leaving my first wife.” 

“Are you telling me to leave Niko?” Asked Eve. 

“No.” Bill shook his head. “I’m telling you to do what’s right for you, Eve. No matter what anyone else thinks. Take your time and figure out what it is you want. Who you want.”

“I hardly even know her, Bill.” Eve ran a hand through her hair, ruffling it with a sigh. “There’s just something about her. I can’t get her out of my head and the sex… god, the sex is amazing! But I’ve never even been attracted to another woman before, I can’t end my marriage on a whim for a woman half my age!”

Bill picked up his pint and took a sip with an air of aloofness. “So she’s a woman? So what! Personally, I’ve never been bothered by what’s between someone’s legs.” 

“You’re… you’re gay?” Eve’s voice dropped to a stage whisper as she glanced around the packed pub. 

“I think bisexual is the more accurate term, though I’ve never cared to label myself. Love is love. If you click with someone you click.” Bill gave a casual shrug. “Keiko knows all about my predilections. I think Evelyn did too, on some level. We stayed together out of a sense of duty, I suppose - It’s what you did back then - but it was over between us long before I left.”

“Mark my words, Eve. Keep your options open. Don’t mistake that ring on your finger for a ball and chain. Get to know this Villanelle better, see if there’s anything there, either by pressing pause with Niko or doing it behind his back. Life’s too short to let silly things like age and the fact she’s a woman get in the way.”

“Thank you.” Eve nodded, biting the inside of her cheek, “But I’m not sure I can keep going behind his back. The guilt is already tearing me apart — and I don’t think our marriage could survive if we took a break… I wouldn’t want to go back.” 

“Maybe that’s your answer.” Bill shrugged without a hint of judgment.

Arriving back at work after lunch, slightly buzzed from the two large glasses of wine she had with her meal, Eve wanted nothing more than to plop down in front of her desk and ignore the rest of the world as she dived into her ever-growing caseload. Fate had other plans for her.

“Excuse me, you are Eve Polastri, yes?” A middle-aged man with an eastern European accent and a silvery beard greeted her at the steps of the MI6 office building. Beside her, Bill bristled, not liking the look of the man one bit. He’d been in the business to recognise a KGB spook when he saw one. 

“Uh, yes. Yes, I am.” Eve answered, taking his hand as he offered it with a boyish grin. 

“Wonderful! My name is Konstantin Vasiliev. I am a friend of your boss, Carolyn, and I believe you also know my niece, Villanelle. I wondered if we could have a chat? In private.” 

Bill placed a hand on Eve’s shoulder. She stepped away, glancing back at him with a nod to let him know she was okay. With a stiff nod, Bill left them to it. 

Eve crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a slight chill as Konstantin’s beady eyes seemed to look right through her. “Would you like to go somewhere? For coffee, perhaps?” 

“I’m good. My lunch break is almost over.” Said Eve. 

“Please, I insist.” Konstantin waved towards an Aston Martin parked nearby. “I will clear it with Carolyn. She won’t mind me stealing you away for a bit.” 

Eve bit down on her lip. “This feels more like an ambush than a little chat.” Konstantin laughed at that, a deep rumbling belly laugh that reminded Eve of the old drunk at the mall that played Santa Claus every year when she was a kid. 

“Please, let me buy you a coffee and we can talk. I promise it is in your best interest to hear what I have to say.” He said, and Eve could hardly refuse. 

He took her to a nearby coffee shop, and they settled in a booth after ordering their drinks. Eve felt full of a nervous kind of energy as she tapped her foot under the table, waiting for Konstantin to shrug off his coat and scarf. 

“What is it you wanted to talk about?” Eve asked, shrugging off the usual pleasantries. Konstantin wrung his hands together with a sigh before he placed them on the table. 

“I am worried about your relationship with my niece.” Konstantin decided to be brutally honest. Eve seemed like the no-nonsense kind of woman who would appreciate the direct approach.

“I am worried about Villanelle. She is very headstrong, but she is vulnerable. She is like a child in many ways.” Konstantin spoke in a measure tone, his gaze locked with Eve’s. “I raised her after her father was killed. Her mother was already dead. Cancer. Horrible business. I am actually her godfather. She isn’t my blood, but I raised her like she was my own.” 

Eve listened quietly, biting her tongue as the urge to laugh at Konstantin’s description of Villanelle as vulnerable. It was the last word she would think of to describe the younger woman. 

“I love my niece dearly, but she is not like most people.” 

Eve laughed at that. She couldn’t hold back any longer. “I’m aware of that.” 

Konstantin lost his jovial smile as his gaze darkened and he slowly shook his head from side to side. “No. You don’t. Did she tell you why we had to leave Russia? She attacked a man. The husband of her lover. She castrated him when the woman rejected her.” 

Eve’s mouth fell open. She’d known there was something different about Villanelle, but she’d never considered she might be capable of something so brutal. “I… did he live?” 

“If you can call it living. Yes.” Konstantin nodded. He rubbed at his beard, still staring into the depths of Eve’s soul. “She was lucky not to end up in prison. I had to call in a lot of favours and grease many palms to get her out of the country. I took a post as a foreign diplomat in Paris.” 

He took a sip of his coffee, smacking his lips together before continuing. “I enrolled her in therapy, of course, but it was of little use. The doctors all told me she has antisocial personality disorder. She is a sociopath. Impulsive, quick to anger, has little empathy... I’m not sure she is even capable of love, not as we understand it. You need to be careful, Mrs Polastri. I would hate for history to repeat itself."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since I updated, folks! I genuinely thought I'd finished this fic until I got a comment asking when I was going to finish it, so I checked my laptop and found this chapter and half of the next one. My bad 😅 The last chapter should be finished and up in a few days.

“Mr and Mrs Polastri, welcome, welcome!” The manager of their local Indian restaurant greeted the couple as they stepped through the door. Niko took her coat from her and handed it, along with his own, over to the waiting maitre de. 

It was Saturday, and the couple were on the date night Eve had promised earlier in the week. The manager led them to their usual table. The restaurant was a favourite of theirs and they were usually there a few times a month, and got takeout from them most weekends. 

Eve forced a smile. She’d suggested they try something new, like going for sushi, but Niko had insisted on the restaurant. He didn’t even ask Eve what she wanted to eat, telling the waiter they’d have their usual. 

“And to drink, the usual too, sir?” 

“We’ll have a bottle of red.” Eve answered before Niko could ask for his regular beer. 

“Very good, madam.” He nodded and took their menus from them. Niko gave her a sheepish smile. 

“So, how’s work been?” 

Eve bit back a groan and hid it behind a fake cough. She was already bored out of her mind. She snatched her wine glass the moment the water filled it and listened to her husband drone on about the same things he’d been talking about for the last fifteen years. 

Her purse hung from the back of her chair and vibrated against her thigh as she received text after text. Eve had put it on silent. Villanelle hadn’t stopped calling and texting her all week. She’d ghosted her ever since Konstanin’s unexpected visit. His warning still rung in her ears. 

She was trying her best to save her marriage, but it was hard to save something that was already dead and buried. Bill was right. She needed to press pause or walk away — but that didn’t necessarily mean going to Villanelle. Eve needed to figure out what she wanted on her own first; and Villanelle had a way of clouding her judgement at the best of times. 

The meal seemed to take longer than the Last Supper and Eve was glad to finally step outside in to the cool night air as they waited for their taxi. Niko reached for her hand and she shoved them both in to her pockets. 

Eve was pensive, her mind a million miles away as she contemplated her next move. If she was going to leave her husband, it wouldn’t be for a woman half her age. Eve was above such cliches as having a midlife crisis; at least that’s what she told herself as they climbed into the waiting taxi. 

Her phone vibrated in her purse again. She took it out and looked at the caller ID with a sigh as Villanelle’s name disappeared, showing four missed calls and nine unread texts. “Everything okay, luv?” Niko asked, leaning over her. His breath stank of cheap wine and vindaloo. 

Eve pulled away, pocketing her phone. “Everything is fine.” She lied. Villanelle wasn’t the problem, she and Niko were. Even before he’d cheated, their marriage hadn’t been perfect. Things between them had been stale for a long time. The excitement was long gone and, if Eve was being honest with herself, so was the love.

They arrived home after a short taxi ride and Niko offered to open some wine once they were inside, but Eve had other plans. “Don’t bother.” She said, her mind made up on a last ditch effort to save her marriage. “Let’s go straight up.”

Niko’s grin stretched right across his face as he nodded and followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs to their bedroom. Eve pushed Niko on to the bed before she started undressing. She tugged down the zip on the back of her dress and pulled her arms out of the straps. Letting the material pool at her feet, she stepped out of it and towards Niko.

He pulled his own shirt over his head, his eyes fixed on his wife and the skimpy lingerie she’d worn specially for their date. “I’ve missed you so much, Sweetheart, and I am so sorry… so, so sorry-”

“Niko, shut up.” Eve snapped as she straddled his waist. He was already hard, his dick pressing uncomfortably against her bare stomach. She shifted as they kissed. 

His moustache tickled against her cheeks. His hands were callous and dry and his skin felt like sand paper under Eve’s hands. He was nothing like Villanelle; with her pert breasts, soft skin and sweet smelling hair. 

Niko’s kisses were sloppy and his tongue felt like an eel probing around in her mouth. Eve couldn’t stand it. She pushed him away and stood up, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. 

“Eve?” His pitiful eyes widened at her as she shook her head from side to side. The writing was on the wall and even Niko could see it. “Eve, please-” 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore, Niko. I can’t.” Eve said with a sigh, covering her bare stomach with her arms. “This isn’t going to work… We can’t work.” 

Eve moved her hands to her hips and glanced up at the ceiling, unable to look her husband in the eye. “I can’t get you and Gemma out of my mind. Every time you try to touch me or kiss me, it makes my skin crawl…” 

“Do you think it’s any easier for me?” Niko snapped, his face turning red with anger. “Knowing you slept with a bloody woman half my age to get back at me? Do you know what that does to my pride?” 

Eve shook her head, biting her lip. “Not everything is about you, Niko.” 

“No.” He said, his eyes narrowing. “No, Eve, it’s all about you. As usual. Your needs come first, they always have. Do you know why I gave in to Gemma’s advances?” 

“Because you’re a selfish prick?” Eve replied bitterly. Stalking over to the dresser, she pulled out some pyjamas and turned her back to him while she dressed. 

Niko rubbed at his moustache as he stretched his jaw, resisting the urge to yell at her. “You’re always working. You don’t have time for me, for us! I gave in to Gemma because she paid attention to me. She actually wanted to be in the same room as me for more than five minutes!” He slammed his open hand against the side table, making Eve jump and spin around to face him. 

“Oh, boo hoo!” Eve snapped, her tone laced with venom. “Don’t spin this on me, Niko! You’re the one who put your dick in another woman!” 

Niko’s expression fell. He hung his head and cradled it in his hands. When he finally looked back up, he said, “Is there even any point in us trying anymore? Because, honestly, I feel like I’m the only one trying, Eve. I have been for a long time, and you just keep pulling further and further away. So tell me, is there anything left for us to save?” 

Eve couldn’t answer him. Instead, she replied with, “I’ll sleep in my office.” She stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her. Eve pulled out the sofa bed and took the spare bedding out of the linen cupboard to make up her bed for the night. It was hardly the first time she’d slept in her office in fifteen long years of marriage to Niko.

Maybe Niko had a point. Maybe she put her work before him sometimes, but that was hardly her fault. What she did was important. Unlike Niko, she couldn’t just walk out of the office at five o’clock and leave it all behind her. Besides, at least the people at work appreciated her. 

Eve lay in bed in the dark, staring up at the ceiling while she waited for Niko to fall asleep. She heard him snoring through the wall ten minutes later and pulled her phone out of her bra. Villanelle’s list of missed texts and calls had grown, with the last one coming through fifteen minutes ago.

It was late, but Villanelle was a night owl and sure to still be up. Eve bit down on her lip as she text her, asking if she was up. Her reply came immediately.

_V: I sure am. I thought you were ignoring me again?? xx._

The text ended with an unhappy smiley emoji that made Eve chuckle softly to herself. Villanelle really showed her age sometimes. She fired off her own reply.

_E: Can I be honest? I was._

_V: Why? What did I do? Xx_

Eve let out a heavy sigh. There was no way to explain everything in a text. 

_E: Can I come over? We need to talk._

_V: Sounds ominous. Okay. xx._

_E: I’ll be twenty minutes xx_

Eve didn’t bother dressing up or reapplying her makeup. This wasn’t a booty call. Creeping down the stairs, she slipped her feet in to her Ugg boots, pulled her long wool coat over her pyjamas and a beanie hat on her head. 

She reached for her car keys and then remembered the wine she’d had at dinner. She called a taxi instead. It pulled up five minutes later and Eve groaned as she recognised the driver from earlier. 

“Evening, luv. Where to?” He greeted her with a cheery smile, making no comment on the fact that he’d only dropped her and her husband off an hour ago. Eve gave the address to Villanelle’s Soho flat. She text the other woman to tell her she was on her way. Villanelle replied with a smiley face and three kisses. 

The ride over seemed to take forever. Eve handed a twenty pound note over to the driver, insisting he keep the change as she scrambled out the car. She knocked on Villanelle’s door and she answered almost immediately, wearing a silk robe that gaped open at the front. 

“Eve.” She leaned forward, intending to kiss her, but Eve pulled back. 

“I’m not here for sex, V. I need… We need to talk.” 

Villanelle struggled to hide her disappointment. She smoothed her expression over and stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in. Eve did. She went on ahead up the stairs while Villanelle locked the door.

She was perched on the edge of Villanelle’s bed when she followed her up. Her coat and beanie hat lay on the floor and Villanelle realised she was wearing pyjamas. 

Villanelle clicked her tongue loudly. “You don’t want sex, yet you’re sitting on my bed looking like that?” 

Eve ignored the other woman’s sarcasm. “Niko and I had a date night tonight. It was a disaster. I was bored out of my mind and all I could think about was you.” 

A smug grin stretched its way across Villanelle’s lips as she sauntered over to the bed, deliberately swaying her hips. She took a seat so closer to her lover that their thighs pressed together. 

“You’re all I think about lately.” Eve sighed.

“I think about you too, Eve.” Said Villanelle. She reached out, cupping Eve’s chin in her hand and forcing the older woman to look at her. “All the time. I can’t stop it. I’m not used to feeling… things, but with you I do.” 

Eve leaned in to the younger woman’s touch, closing her eyes over. “We know nothing about each other, Villanelle.” 

“I know how I feel.” Villanelle insisted, her voice firm as her thumb caressed Eve’s cheek. 

“What do you mean, you don’t feel things?” Eve opened her eyes. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from Villanelle. The younger woman became uncharacteristically nervous, letting go of Eve’s cheek and picking at a thread on the expensive comforter covering her bed. 

“A doctor once told me I have psychopathic traits, and… and Antisocial Behaviour Disorder.” Villanelle chewed on her lip. “Does that scare you?” 

Eve shook her head. Her mouth felt dry as she dropped her gaze to her clenched hands. “It doesn’t. To be honest, your uncle already told me.” 

“Konstantin?” Villanelle’s expression darkened. “When? What did he say to you?” 

“That you were a psychopath. Which I guess I should have already known; you being a stockbroker and all.” Eve tried to make a joke of it, but Villanelle was in no mood for games. 

“I am not a psychopath!” She snapped, baring her teeth. “I don’t like that word! And it’s not like I killed anyone!”

“No, you just castrated your lover’s husband.” Said Eve. 

Villanelle stood up, stepping away from the bed and pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “I was a child! Only seventeen! I wouldn’t hurt your husband, if that is what you’re thinking! I know that would push you away, just like it pushed Anna away… and I don’t want to lose you, Eve. I don’t. I… I want to know everything about you, and I want you to know everything about me too… Is this what love feels like? Is it?” 

“Villanelle…” Eve sighed. She didn’t know what to say. She’d come here to tell her it was over, not for Villanelle to spill out her true feelings for her. 

“You’re going to leave me, aren’t you?” 

Eve bit the inside of her cheek as her eyes welled up with tears. They weren’t together. They weren’t dating. It was only ever meant to be about the sex. Yet there Eve was, shedding more tears over her lover than she ever would her husband. 

Villanelle crawled back on to the bed, wrapping her arms around the older woman and pulling her down with her. Eve lay with her in a comfortable silence, her head nestled against Villanelle’s breast. There was nothing sexual about it. They lay like that until Eve fell asleep, her body finally succumbing to the same exhaustion her mind felt.   
  


* * *

Eve tip-toed out of Villanelle’s flat early the next morning, careful not to wake her. She called a taxi and ignored the driver’s pointed looks at her pyjamas. 

Niko was sitting at the kitchen table when she walked back in the house they’d shared for their whole marriage. He looked up at her with his sad eyes. “Where have you been?” 

Eve was done lying to him. “I was with Villanelle.” She answered honestly. “Nothing happened last night, but I’ve slept with her twice. She makes me feel… God, she makes me feel alive again!” Eve let out a hollow laugh. She ran her hands through her hair, brushing it back from her face.

Niko’s expression soured like the milk in his coffee was off. “Eve, I-” 

“No. You don’t get to talk.” Eve held out a hand, her tone firm, and stopped him in his tracks as he tried to argue. “I tried, Niko. God knows I tried, but you did this to us! You cheated first. You killed our marriage, not me.”

Niko hung his head as Eve wrapped her arms around herself. “You might not have physically walked out, Eve, but you checked out on our marriage a long time ago.” 

“You’re right.” Eve conceded with a sigh. “It’s over. I came back to pack some things.”

“You hardly even know this woman, and what? You’re just going to move in with her like that?” 

“I’m not moving in with Villanelle. This isn’t about her, Niko. It’s about us. I’m leaving because it’s right for both of us. I need time to think things through… I’ll stay at Elena’s or Bill’s. I don’t know, I haven’t thought that far ahead.” Eve moved to turn and walk out and Niko stood, knocking his chair over as he grabbed desperately at Eve’s arm. 

“Eve, please! Don’t do this to us! Give me another chance-” 

“It’s over, Niko.” She wrenched her arm free and stalked off upstairs, leaving her husband behind to wallow in his grief. 

Eve was halfway through packing a bag when her phone went off. It was a text from Villanelle asking where she’d gone. Eve sent her a quick text back, saying she’d be by later. She had some things to do first.

An hour later, after dropping her bag off at Bill’s, Eve arrived on Villanelle’s door step again. The blonde ushered her up upstairs, still wearing her silk bath robe. 

“Where did you go?” She asked, taking a seat on her bed and trying to sound disinterested as Eve shrugged off her coat and hung it over the railing at the top of the stairs. 

“Home.” Eve answered. She stood in front of Villanelle, her arms folded over her chest. “I went back to pack a bag. I’ve moved out… I’ve uh, I’ve left Niko.” 

Villanelle’s face split open with a grin. She bounced up, tugging on Eve’s shirt and pulling her in close to kiss her. Eve took a step back, holding her hands out to stop her. 

“I… I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I didn’t leave him for you, Villanelle. That’s not why I did it. Our marriage was over a long time ago, long before I even met you. I like you. I do… A lot.” Eve glanced away, chewing on her bottom lip. Villanelle hovered in front of her, unsure where this was going.

“But I’m forty-two years old. I’m probably about to get divorced and I’m currently homeless. I don’t have a lot to offer for someone like you, V.” 

“I don’t care about any of that!” Villanelle shook her head from side to side with a frown. She took the other woman’s hands in her own, urging her to look at her again. “I want you, Eve! I have never wanted anyone so much before… Not even Anna!” 

“You castrated her husband.” Eve pointed out with a soft chuckle, shying away as Villanelle tried to cup her cheek. Villanelle persisted, cradling Eve’s cheek in her hand. She moved forward, pressing her lips to Eve’s in a gentle kiss. 

“That was infatuation. This is different… I love you, Eve.” 


	10. Epilogue

“Kenny, go ask your Mum if we can go home!” Hugo whined as he spun around in lazy circles in his chair. It was yet another Friday afternoon and the clock on the wall seemed to have stopped. Eve bit the inside of her cheek as she watched the second hand slowly drag itself around the clock face. 

“Ask her yourself!” Huffed Kenny. Hugo flipped off him off and turned his attention to Eve. 

“Are you joining us in the pub after work?” He asked, already knowing the answer. Eve shook her head. 

“I can’t. It’s date night. I’ve got a takeaway, a movie and a bottle of wine waiting for me at home.” 

“Ugh.” Hugo rolled his eyes. “You’re such an old married woman!” 

“She is an old married woman.” Bill piped up, shooting Eve an apologetic smile as she glared at him. 

“Hey, less of the old!” 

“Bill’s right. The old ball and chain won’t let you play out.” Hugo said, a wolfish grinning spreading over his face as he leered at the older woman. Eve flipped him off right as the clock struck five. She stood up, packing away in a hurry. 

“Hugo, you’re just jealous because you wouldn’t know what a stable relationship was if it bit you in the ass.” Said Eve, pulling on her coat. “Have fun tonight. I’ll see you all Monday.” 

Eve all but ran to her car. Tossing her purse on the front seat, she put her foot down to beat rush hour traffic, but it still took her longer than she’d like to get home. She shrugged off her raincoat and hung it up on the hook by the door as she rifled through the small pile of mail addressed to her. A large brown envelope caught her eye because it was already open. 

“Babe, I’m home!” Eve called out. She paused as she pulled out a thick pile of paper from the envelope. It was a copy of her divorce papers. Niko had finally signed them. 

“Welcome home.” She jumped as two slender hands covered her eyes and the scent of Villanelle’s expensive perfume washed over her. Eve sunk back against the younger woman, a smile spreading its way across her lips. In the six months since walking out on her husband, her life had changed drastically for the better. 

“Hey.” Eve turned around, letting her mail drop to the floor as she draped her arms around Villanelle’s neck and leaned in to greet her for a long, lingering kiss. Eve had only called Villanelle’s apartment home for a month, but coming home to the other woman felt as familiar as breathing. 

“It’s your turn to choose the movie tonight.” Said Villanelle, her hands lingering on Eve’s hips as she pulled back from the kiss. Skillful fingers danced over the small patch of skin on show where Eve’s shirt rode up. “I already ordered food, but it will be at least thirty minutes.”

“Thirty minutes, huh? I wonder what we could do in thirty minutes?” Eve grinned, Villanelle’s hands already slipping under her shirt. 

“I’m sure we’ll think of something…” Said Villanelle, pushing Eve back until the backs of her knees hit the large circular bed that dominated their living room. Eve sunk down on to the bed with a smirk, pulling her shirt up over her head in a way that held Villanelle’s complete attention. Even after this long, Villanelle still looked at her like she was made of gold, and Eve knew she’d made the right decision in choosing her. Villanelle made her happier than Niko ever could. 

“I love you…” Said Eve, Villanelle’s mouth swallowing the words as she crawled on top of her girlfriend and kissed her. Across the room, hidden in the ice bucket along with an expensive as shit bottle of champagne, sat a simple velvet ring box. Villanelle had been keeping both for Eve’s divorce coming through — They would have two things to celebrate tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As ever, thanks for reading folks and thanks for all the comments and kudos!


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